Red John's Making
by Nerwen Aldarion
Summary: Co author Tinuviel Undomiel: Five years ago Lisbon joined the FBI but when Red John strikes again she must return to California and Patrick Jane. The investigation turns personal as she realizes that Red John is closer to them than they realized. Jisbon
1. Hello Darkness My Old Friend

Disclaimer: We own absolutely nothing though Cassie is our own creation

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: My first Mentalist fic! This is so cool! I came up with this idea while watching the season 1 dvd's for the 40th time I just couldn't shake it, finally I broke down and told my sister and we wound up coming up with a whole case that deals with deception, intrigue and of course the illusive Red John. There will be clues along the way, see if you can spot them. And I promise that all you shippers will be pleased.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: Yep, my sister told me about her idea and the next thing I knew I was coming up with scenes, dialogue and action for this story. I'm excited since this is my first Mentalist fic as well. I hope you all enjoy it.

NOTE: This story takes place five years into the future. The title of this chapter comes from the song "The Sound of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel. Always check out the chapter titles, they'll give you hints on what is to come.

* * *

Red John's Making

Chapter 1: Hello Darkness My Old Friend

FBI Agent Teresa Lisbon was actually in a good mood on that Monday morning. Usually Mondays meant extra strength coffee and tired eyes but the weekend this week had been light. It had been an off duty weekend for Lisbon and her partner. She hadn't been called onto a case last minute and since she'd closed the Martinez case the Thursday before, she hadn't needed the weekend to continue an investigation. Instead the time had been spent catching up on sleep and relaxing, something she rarely got to do.

Lisbon sat down at her desk and flipped through the infinite stack of paperwork that rested on it. She hadn't been able to make any kind of dent in it when a disposable cup of coffee was place on her desk. Her partner Agent Adam Ledford smiled down at her, "First coffee of the day, Lisbon." Adam was a nice guy, in his early forties with brown hair and dark brown eyes. He wasn't bad looking but was no George Clooney either. The lines around his mouth were beginning the show, the only sign that he was getting older in his years.

She smiled, "For you maybe, you know that coffee is what I live on, like food and oxygen."

"Don't we all?"

She laughed and saluted him with her coffee as he sat down at his own desk to dig through his own paperwork.

An hour later her phone at her desk rang, startling her a little making Adam smile. "Agent Lisbon," she answered professionally.

"Lisbon," Director of the FBI Hank Griffins gruff voice spoke, "I need to see you in my office immediately."

"Yes sir," she said and hung up the phone, she met Adam's questioning eyes and shrugged, "Something's up," she told him before getting up from behind her desk and making her way to the elevators that would lead to Griffins' office.

The director was an older middle-aged man with a receding hairline and bad cholesterol. His voice was like gravel but he could bark as loud as a pit-bull if he wanted to which is why many an agent did their best not to piss him off. "Sit down," he told her roughly, not bothering with the normal pleasantries that usually occurred under circumstances of business.

Lisbon took the seat across from his desk and kept her composure unreadable, "You wanted to see me sir."

He opened a thick file on his desk, "We've got a case in Nevada, a serial killer who apparently has crossed state lines." Lisbon raised her eyebrow, a sickening knot twisted in her stomach, "A woman was found in her home, stabbed to death with a mark drawn in her own blood on her bedroom wall."

"Red John," Lisbon whispered her heart plummeted to her feet and she felt like vomiting or throwing something up against the wall.

Griffins nodded, "The NDPS has kept it quiet, the public doesn't know that it's a Red John case. Since the crime has crossed over from California this makes it our problem. I know that this isn't the first Red John case to hit Nevada and my predecessor decided to let the CBI handle it, but the law says that the FBI takes cases that cross state lines and I mean to uphold it. We will work this case from now on _with_ the CBI."

He closed the file and handed it over to her. "Because of your past history with the case, I believe you would be the best to handle it."

Lisbon hesitated, for years the Red John case had all but consumed her life. Almost every free moment at the CBI had been spent pouring over the case files, searching for that missing piece that would put the puzzle together. Every new killing had both excited her and frustrated her more, she'd hoped each time that this killing would be the one where Red John would make that fatal mistake. But every time she had been disappointed and instead she'd had to wait for that next victim that was almost certainly going to come.

She had almost been relieved to leave that case behind her in California…but she couldn't deny that she also felt like she'd left some work undone. She couldn't fully enjoy her life until that one case was finally put to rest.

With leaden fingers Lisbon took the file from him and opened it, her mind accustomed to the grizzly sight the photos revealed. The slashed throat and chest with the symbol placed strategically on the wall confirmed to her at least as a cursory glance that the serial killer who'd eluded her for so long was back and as much as she hated to be sucked in again…she really needed to catch him more. "I'll take it," she said somberly.

"I wasn't asking if you would," he informed her, making it clear that 'no' wouldn't have been an answer he would have accepted. "You've got a flight booked for ten o'clock this evening, you have until then to get your affairs together. Now go tell your partner that you two are going to Nevada."

With that Griffins opened another file on his desk and Teresa took that as her cue to leave. She quietly stood up from her chair and quit the room. She stood outside of his office for a long moment just to let it all sink in. Lisbon knew what investigating Red John again meant, it meant falling back into that hole she'd tried desperately to crawl out of, it meant revisiting the horrific scenes that never failed to haunt her through nightmares, and it meant seeing her old team again. The latter would have been a pleasurable outcome if only for one thing…she wasn't sure if she was ready to work with _him_ again.

Finally she made her way down the hallway to the elevator, thankful that for once she didn't have to share if with someone else. It was hard enough to keep her calm and collected veneer on it would have been worse to stand awkwardly with a stranger watching the numbers light up.

Somehow she found her way back to her desk where Ledford was waiting with expectant eyes, "So do we have a case?"

Dimly Teresa nodded, "Yeah…yeah we do."

He noticed her odd demeanor, "What is it?" he asked obviously concerned.

"We have to go to Nevada," She explained, "a woman was killed there…it looks like it's Red John."

Ledford couldn't hide his surprise, his eyes widened and his eyebrows shot clear up to his slightly receding hairline. "Red John…the _real_ Red John?"

Teresa actually smiled a little bit. Ledford had worked as a psychoanalyst for the police for a while, helping grieving families, police officers dealing with stress and sometimes he would be called in to help profile suspect, the latter being his real interest. After a while he'd decided to give catching the killers a try himself and found his way to the FBI but he still enjoyed profiling quite a bit. Now he was like a kid in a candy store, eager to get his hands on case files so he could study the serial killer that had haunted the nation for over a decade.

She handed him the case file, "You can look over this, but don't get carried away, you need to go home and pack before our ten o'clock flight. You'll have plenty of time to study the cases on the way to Nevada."

Lisbon began to set her things in order at her desk so she could leave as soon as possible for home. She was startled when Ledford put a hand on her shoulder compelling her to turn around, "You going to be okay? I know the Red John case was yours when you were at the CBI…I kind of got the feeling that you were running from something when you came here, wouldn't surprise me in the least if this was it. If that's the case…can you handle it?"

She sighed, "Red John haunted me all the time I was at the CBI, I kind of got used to his ghost. Now he's back and it's just a shock for me now…but I also really want to catch this guy, more than any other case."

He nodded, "So it wasn't Red John that you were running from then."

"What makes you think I was running from anything?"

Ledford smiled, a smile that meant _Don't lie to me when I know I'm right_. It was a smile Lisbon had learned very well but on a completely different case. She just rolled her eyes and grabbed her bag, "I've got to get ready and you do to. Meet you at the airport at eight."

Her partner watched her as she retreated to the elevator and shook his head. This would be an interesting case…in more ways then one.

* * *

It was always a joy for Lisbon to return home from work. Traffic was always terrible in the D.C. area so finally pulling into her driveway was a pleasure. It was just a red-brick townhouse in a semi-suburban area outside the city, but to her it was a palace. The only downside was that she was only going home to pack and then hit the airport.

She used her keys to unlock her front door and stepped into the entryway. Marisol popped out of the kitchen and smiled at her. "Hello, Miss Terésa. You are home early."

Lisbon nodded at the Hispanic woman and her careful English. "Yes, I have to pack. I've got a ten o'clock flight to Nevada."

"Ah, I _comprendo_," she said, her brown, middle aged face smiling again, "Dinner is almost ready."

"Oh, thanks, Marisol." Lisbon was always grateful for her home-cooked meals, especially before she had to jettison off to the other side of the country. "Where's—?"

"Mommy!"

Lisbon turned around to see a three foot two inch blur coming towards her. She opened up her arms and the torpedo in pink and green leapt into her embrace. "You're home! You're home!" was chanted into her ear at a deafening level, but Lisbon didn't care.

After a long squeeze, Lisbon set her daughter back down on the floor. Cassandra was an adorable creature, seemingly half-angel with long dark, brown curls and big blue-green eyes. She had the exuberance of a wild colt but sweetness of milk chocolate. She was the brightest spot in Lisbon's life and it broke her heart every time she had to leave.

"So, Alberta Einstein," Lisbon said, "What did you do today?"

"We painted pictures of farm animals and on Friday Mrs. Hutchinson is taking us to a petting zoo," Cassie said, "We're working on a new routine in ballet. It's to _Part of Your World_, you know the song Ariel sings."

"Your favorite! Oh that's wonderful, honey."

"Cassandra," Marisol said the girl's name with a heavy accent, "Let your _mamá_ go upstairs to pack. She is going on another work vacation."

Cassie's little shoulders slumped at that news which only added to Lisbon's own grief. "How long will you be gone this time?"

Lisbon knelt down so she was at the same height as her daughter. "I don't know, baby," she said and pushed on of her curls behind her ear, "This is a really bad man I'm trying to find, someone who did a lot of naughty things in California. Mommy really wants to catch him this time."

"Can I come too?" Cassie asked, her blue eyes brightening at the thought, "I can help, mommy. I can hear the people talk and draw him for you, like they do on TV."

Lisbon chuckled at the thought. "Cassie, I wish you could come and I'm sure your would be a big help, but the is a very bad man and I want you to be safe. I would feel so much better if your stayed here with Marisol."

Cassie bobbed her wealth of brown hair. "Okay, but I'm going to miss you, mommy."

Lisbon grinned at her daughter. "I'm going to miss you too."

She leaned over and kissed Cassie's forehead and then pulled her in for another hug. Lisbon breathed in the scent of her child's hair: Loreal Kids shampoo and that special aroma of paint, crayons and mischief. Who knew that a accident from five years ago would lead to something so wonderful? It truly broke her heart to let her go.

"Now, go wash your hands and we'll have some dinner," Lisbon told Cassie.

"_Sí_, it is your favorite tonight, Cassandra," Marisol said, "Pasta and garlic bread."

The idea of spaghetti with hot garlic bread temporarily made up for the fact that her mother was soon to depart. Cassie let out a squeal of delight and ran up to the bathroom to wash her hands. For dinner, Red John and the FBI would cease to exist and they would only focus on the innocent topics of horseback riding, ballet and finger-painting.

* * *

"Can I get you anything?" The overly cheerful voice of the flight attendant with the name take that read Amy jerked Lisbon and Ledford out of their separate world that was filled with case files and pictures not for those squeamish eyes. Amy looked tired but was keeping her smile bright for the sake of the only two passengers that were awake. Teresa felt bad for her, but she also knew that she wasn't going to get any rest either.

"Just some coffee would be great," she told her with a grateful look. She kept her voice low so as not to wake any of the other passengers on the plane, thankfully the cabin wasn't very full.

Amy hurried off to fulfill that task while the two FBI agents once again hunkered over their case files. "What makes you certain this is the real Red John?" Ledford asked, "He's had several copy cats before."

"Well I'll know for sure once I see the crime scene and get a feel for it," Teresa admitted, "but looking at the crime scene photos, I'd say he's back." She pointed to the wide shot of the bedroom of Red John's latest victim Kristy Amberson, "The red smiley face is at the right spot, on the wall that you see as soon as you open the door." Lisbon took out another photograph, this one of Kristy's body, a horrifying picture that made her choke up a little at the travesty that had occurred. "The uh…the cuts are also in the same manner, the same style of cuts that haven't been made public." Her voice was heavy but she put her feelings aside. It might be a problem that Lisbon still cared about the victims but she believed that the day she stopped caring was also the day she lost her mind completely.

He studied the photos, "It's difficult to say, Red John doesn't seem to have a special _type_ of victim."

"No," Teresa agreed, "He's no Ted Bundy with a specific age, hair color and style. He's more like Dennis Rader, he searches for a new victim until he gets a feel for one, then he strikes."

"Not always," Adam pointed out, "He's gone off his normal type before."

"Those were all for specific purposes, usually to protect his identity," Lisbon explained, "He killed Carter Peaks when he interrupted the killing of Peak's wife, then killed Towland Morning to further protect his identity." She pulled out another file, "He also killed Jared Renfrew and a prostitute in Tijuana after Renfrew went on the lam."

"Renfrew was going to testify to Red John's identity right?"

"Yep but he chose to try and outrun Red John, he gambled and lost," Lisbon replied.

"There is also the killing of CBI agent Sam Bosco and his team," Ledford flipped through the files spread out on the tray table in front of him, "and the murder of Angela and Charlotte Jane."

The names sent a jolt of pain through Teresa's heart; she wasn't sure which death hurt her more though: the death of her mentor at the hands of the brainwashed follower or the beautiful child that had barely started to live. Her eyes were drawn the photograph of Charlotte, not the crime scene but rather the picture on her file of a smiling child with long curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes, the same features that Lisbon knew so well…on someone else.

Ledford looked up to see where he gaze fell, "This was your first Red John case wasn't it?"

She nodded but didn't take her eyes off of the child, "I was hardly more than a rookie then…I didn't know it would be my life." Silently she thought, "_In more ways than one."_

_

* * *

_

_Twelve Years Ago_

The black Sedan eased over to the curb on the residential street and parked there behind a police car with flashing blue and red lights. Lisbon opened the door of the passenger side and stepped onto the grass. Her team leader, Agent Garner, slammed the door of the driver's side. Her teammate Agent Bowen stepped out from the street on the other side.

"What's the situation?" Garner asked the cop that walked over to them.

"Two vics," the cop said, "Mother and daughter. It looks to be Red John." The cop gestured to a man sitting on a stone bench under one of the carefully pruned trees. "That's the owner, it was his family that was killed. His name is Patrick Jane."

Bowen blinked in surprise. "The psychic? My mother's crazy about him."

"Yeah, that's him," the cop said, "Since this is that psycho killer again, we don't mind if CBI takes over."

Lisbon didn't really care about the cop or the fact he had just handed them this case on a silver platter. She couldn't stop looking at Patrick Jane, sitting alone under the tree. She was too far away to see his face, but she guessed from the slump of his shoulders he was in immense pain.

"Lisbon?" Garner called her name. She looked over and saw that her team was several yards ahead of her. "Are you coming?"

"Yes, sorry boss," she said.

The Jane residence would have been a perfectly lovely home with fine antique furniture, top of the line appliances and spacious rooms. There were toys put away in baskets, though one lonely tricycle was left out in the open, and many pictures of the family on the walls or stacked up on tables.

CSU's were taking pictures and combing the place for any evidence Red John may have left behind. He never did.

"I'm going to talk with the CSU's, you two go upstairs and verify if it really is Red John," Garner instructed them.

"Got it, boss," Bowen said.

They took the stairs and followed the corridor to the bedroom. Crime scene tape was set in an X on the door. A CSU was inside, snapping pictures of the two victims. Bowen went on inside, but Lisbon's attention was stolen by something taped to the door.

It was note, carefully typed up, that said:

"_Dear mister Jane,_

_I do not like to be slandered in the media, especially by a dirty money-grubbing fraud. _

_If you were a real psychic, instead of a dishonest little worm, you wouldn't need to open the door to see what I've done to your lovely wife and child."_

"Moron didn't know who he was dealing with."

Lisbon turned around and saw the CSU was looking at her, correctly deducing that she was left confused by the note.

He pointed to the note. "The dude talked about Red John on national TV, and not in flattering terms." He then gestured to the two plastic sheet covered bodies, "Red John got his revenge."

"He murdered that poor man's wife and daughter because his pride was wounded?" Lisbon said in disbelief, "God, what a monster."

"Well if the Oracle of Delphi hadn't run his mouth off on TV then his family wouldn't have had their throats cut."

His brazen words shocked her for a moment. Did he really think that this was Mr. Jane's fault? So what if he had said something he shouldn't have, that didn't exactly justify the loss of his wife and child.

"Get out," Lisbon said.

The CSU looked at her with confusion. "What?"

"This is a CBI case now and you've done quite enough," she told him, her voice just barely civil, "Go."

The CSU gave her a glare before her pocketed his camera, picked up his kit and quit the room. She heard him mumble, "Bitch," as he left.

"That was harsh," Bowen said to her.

"He has no respect for this family."

"Maybe, but he does have a point," he said, "If the guy hadn't said anything then they would still be alive."

Lisbon shook her head. "If a husband is killed by his wife because he cheated, is it justified?"

Bowen wisely kept his mouth shut and went back to surveying the room. On the wall above the bodies was the Red John signature: a swirl-like circle done in a clockwise swoop with two eyes and an upturned grin. The blood had not congealed so the effect made it appear that the eyes were crying red tears.

Lisbon turned away from The Face and went back to the victims. She took out a pair of latex gloves from her pocket and peeled away the sheet so she could see who Red John had so cruelly taken away from the world.

The mother had light brown hair that was now spread out all over her shoulders. Her throat was slashed and her chest was viciously carved. Next to her lay her little daughter, perhaps four or five years of age. She had curly, sandy hair that was now stained red with her own blood. Her cuts matched her mother.

Lisbon had seen gruesome murders before: stabbings, massive gunshot wounds, even a decapitation. But to see a small child carved into like a jack-o'-lantern was by far the worst thing she could have imagined.

"CSU told me the mother is Angela and the daughter is Charlotte," Bowen said softly.

Lisbon swallowed back the lump forming in her throat. She needed to keep her composure, it was her greatest asset on this job.

"Look at her toes," Lisbon said and pointed to Angela's feet. The nails were sloppily painted red.

Bowen peered down for a closer look and then gazed back at Lisbon. He gave her a small nod to confirm what she thought: Red John had painted her toes with her own blood.

Lisbon draped the plastic back over the mother and daughter, their temporary coffin. "There is no doubt that this is Red John for me," she said, "I'm going outside."

"Lisbon, you going to be okay?" Bowen asked her.

She nodded at him, but she wasn't sure if that was true. "I want to see what else they found."

Lisbon fled the room, certain that she would see that little girl and her mother in her dreams later. She went outside and took in deep breaths of cool air. This was her first case with Red John since she had been transferred to Sacramento. She'd heard about the serial killer, who hadn't? But Red John had always been some elusive, twisted man before. Now she knew she was dealing with a true beast.

Press was staked out behind the yellow crime scene tape, asking questions and receiving nothing in return. There other people as well, probably neighbors and passerby just wanting to know what was going. Lisbon looked towards the tree and saw that Mr. Jane was still sitting on the stone bench.

She had a clear idea of what he was thinking about based on the note she saw and that jerk of a CSU. His shoulders were slumped because he was carrying the guilt of his family's murder.

Lisbon didn't realize what she was doing until she was halfway to the tree. She stopped and considered turning around, but chose not to be a coward. She stopped two feet away from the man. He didn't even notice she was there.

"Mr. Jane," she said almost in a whisper.

He looked up then. Patrick Jane had a handsome face with sandy blonde hair sort of combed into a professional look. It was too dark to see the correct color of his eyes but she guessed they were some shade of blue. Every line and shadow on his face betrayed the agony his soul was feeling.

"I'm—I'm Agent Teresa Lisbon, CBI," she said, "We're in charge of your family's…" she couldn't say 'case' or 'murder', not when he was looking at her in the eye. "Anyways, we'll need to get your statement…" she paused and then added, "…tomorrow, if you're up for it."

That was all that really had to be said, at least according to her job, but it didn't seem like enough. Lisbon was known for her calm, for her professional attitude towards the job. Well tonight she was going to break her rule, just a little.

"Mr. Jane, I just want you to know…this isn't your fault."

She felt a bit foolish saying that. It was clear the man didn't believe her, he likely never would. But to her it was an undeniable truth.

"Lisbon!" she heard Garner call for her.

She turned around and gave her boss a nod. "I'm sorry for what happened," she said to the poor man, "and I promise I'll do whatever I can to bring Red John to justice."

That was as good a goodbye as any, so she turned around to see what Garner wanted. She could feel Patrick Jane's eyes burning in her back. She wondered briefly if he would even remember her name. Probably not. He probably hadn't heard a word she said.

* * *

The clinking of coffee mugs on plastic table-trays shook Lisbon away from her memories and she looked up to see the tired eyes but still smiling face of Amy. "Thank you," Lisbon told her genuinely, the coffee was going to be necessary for her and her partner.

"My pleasure," Amy replied before leaving the two agents to themselves.

Ledford watched Lisbon slowly sip her coffee for a moment before saying, "You okay?"

She looked up at him surprised, "Yeah," but she knew he'd seen her zone out of for a moment by the doubtful look on his face. She sighed, "Just a lot of memories, most of them are not so cheerful."

He smiled sympathetically, "It's not easy facing the demons again is it?"

"No one ever said this job was easy," Lisbon agreed.

Ledford nodded and then to her relief flipped through the files again, she was grateful to talk about any other subject but how much Red John still preoccupied her thoughts, "Now I find the file on Patrick Jane particularly interesting."

Any subject but that one.

"Really?" she asked stupidly, immediately regretting the word as soon as she said it.

Ledford looked amused, "Of course, his wife and child and murdered, he drops out of the public eye until he joins the task force that is investigating Red John while helping to put other criminals behind bars. That's only something you see on television."

She chuckled, "Yep, I guess you've got me there."

He looked up from the files and turned his head to meet her gaze, "What did you think of him?"

How on earth was she supposed to answer that question? A million answers came to mind. Crazy, arrogant, rogue, single minded, had problems with authority. That he could be sweet, charming and clearly cared about her team. So many different facets of Jane's character, even the ones he refused to let her see. Finally she simply sighed, "Jane is complicated."

Ledford raised an eyebrow, "That's your answer?"

She shrugged, "It's the best I've got…if you meet him you'll understand. Words cannot describe Patrick Jane. There is just too much to him that I wouldn't even know where to begin."

Her partner looked down at the photograph of the man they were talking about "He sounds interesting."

Lisbon stared off, instead seeing the memories of the consultant she knew so well and then not all, "Trust me, you have no idea. There is only one Patrick Jane."

* * *

It was the heat that told Lisbon that she was back on the west coast. Even in the summer Washington DC could be pretty cool compared to the summers in California. Now here in Nevada the heat was everywhere, pressing down on her like an oven, making her wish that spaghetti strapped tops and shorts were acceptable professional wear.

With the sun baking down on them it was relief to enter the air-conditioned crime lab at Sparks, Nevada. Lisbon and Ledford flashed their ids at the busy receptionist who quickly paged for the lead detective to meet them. A few minutes later a man who appeared to be in his early fifties with salt and pepper hair and a kind smile appeared, "I'm Detective Tom Brandly, I'm the one working the Amberson case."

Lisbon immediately felt relaxed around this detective, he had that quality that made you feel like he had a kind word for everyone, "I'm FBI Agent Teresa Lisbon and this is my partner Agent Adam Ledford, we've come here to offer our services on this investigation." Teresa had learned quickly that the best way to keep the local enforcement happy was to stay away from words such as "take over" and make it sound like they were there to help instead.

Brandly shook her hand, "I'm glad you came because to be perfectly honest…this case is way over our heads."

She smiled at him, "Well our resources can certainly be of some help to you then."

He nodded, "I know that the folks in California have been following this guy for a while, I wasn't sure if I should call them in too or not. This is the same guy isn't it?"

Lisbon put on a serene mask that was meant to display confidence and put him at ease, "We will contact the CBI eventually but first I think it would be best if we look at this case by itself and gather whatever evidence we can from it before we try to see where it fits with the other Red John murders."

Brandly looked worried now, "So it is Red John?"

Lisbon sighed but nodded slowly, "We have every reason to believe it is."

She watched the sadness wash over Brandly, and the fear that followed it. He let out a long drawn out breath before finally speaking again, "Well I'm _really_ glad that you are here then."

"Thank you Detective Brandly," she smiled gratefully, "If you will show us what you have on the case then we can get started."

He gestured with his head, "This way," and he led them through the double doors into the hallway.

Ledford walked beside Lisbon and leaned close to whisper, "Nicely done."

She shrugged, "Just doing my job."

Brandly guided them to a simple conference room where there were files, pictures and evidence bags laid out on the large table. A casual observer wouldn't have known where to begin but since Lisbon had lived and breathed law enforcement for so many years she was used to the organized chaos of case layouts.

The two FBI agents and the detective took seats at the table where they settled down, glancing at the files and shuffling things to make room. Finally Lisbon smiled encouragingly at Brandly and said, "Whenever you are ready."

The detective took out a small notebook from his jacket pocket and cleared his throat, "We got the call two nights ago at six p.m. Kristy Amberson was an ER nurse at the hospital and she hadn't show up for work that day. One of colleagues decided to check up on her and she discovered the scene." He heaved a sigh before continuing, "we secured the house but the suspect was long gone."

Lisbon picked up some photographs of the scene to get a sense of what he was describing. "The victim was found in her bedroom," Brandly continued, "her throat was cut and other cuts were on her chest. The M.E. estimated her time of death around two a.m. that morning based on the liver temp. Besides the cut marks on the body the suspect left a smiling face on the wall over the bed, drawn with the victim's wet blood."

She found the photograph of the smiley face again, the face weeping red tears that never failed to chill her to the bone. She shoved the photograph aside and turned her eyes to the detective, "Did you find any other evidence?"

His disappointed expression said it all, "We fingerprinted the house but the only prints we found belonged to the victim. No foreign DNA was found on the victim either."

"Any signs of a break in?" Ledford asked.

"There were scratch marks on the front door, we believe he picked the lock," Brandly explained, "the victim lived alone and was home most nights by herself, no one heard or saw anything unusual."

Lisbon shook her head, "Of course not, Red John knows how to stay invisible."

The detective nodded but then reached over for an evidence bag, "There is one thing," he handed the bag to Lisbon carefully. "On the table by the bed we found a drawing that looks like it was drawn by a child, but the victim didn't have any kids and from speaking with her friends and colleagues, she didn't really know many either."

Lisbon looked over the drawing, a little girl with yellow hair in a grassy field with flowers and a butterfly. There was the childlike innocence of it with its messy lines and unfinished sky. It reminded Lisbon of the many drawings Cassie had done that adorned the fridge at her home. "There was nothing else like that in the house," Brandly finished.

Ledford shrugged, "Odd, but there are dozens of ways to explain that."

"Maybe not," Lisbon said as she turned the drawing over, her heartbeat racing as soon as she saw the name scribbled on the back of the drawing in red crayon.

In a child's scrawl with uneven letters was the name _Charlotte Jane_.

* * *

The squad room of CBI headquarters smelled like melted cheese, tomatoes, peppers and pineapple; a disgusting combination for some, but heavenly for Agent Kimball Cho's team. It meant that they had closed another case, that another murderer would soon be locked behind steel bars.

"Anyone for another slice?" Agent Wayne Rigsby asked the group that was gathered around his desk.

Cho wordlessly took a piece of pizza from the box and sampled it in front of him. "No thank you?"

"I'm the boss," Cho replied, "I don't need to say thank you."

It was all in good humor so Rigsby just chuckled and then held to box up to Agent Grace Van Pelt. "Do you want anything, honey?"

"Thanks," she said, giving him a flirty smile as she took her second piece.

"Jane?" Rigsby called towards the brown sofa.

Patrick Jane was finishing off the last bit of crust from his slice. He shook his head at Rigsby to decline a second slice.

"Jane, how did you know that Peterson had hidden the gun behind the fridge?" Van Pelt asked between bites.

Jane grinned at her. "I read his mind of course."

"Oh come on," Rigsby said over a mouthful, "Did you see scuff marks on the floor or something?"

"Guess again," Jane said.

"Was the refrigerator askew?" Van Pelt asked.

He laughed a little. "You're even less creative than your husband."

"So what was it then?" Rigsby asked.

Jane stood up from the sofa to deposit his paper plate into the trash can on the other side of the room. "Peterson has an anxious nature and he seeks comfort in food. Logically, if he had done something wrong the first place he would think to hide the evidence would be near the fridge."

"So it was just a guessing game," Cho stated.

"Isn't all of life?"

"Your tricks are all guess work then," Rigsby said.

Jane eyed him with that glint of mischief, one they had all seen numerous times. "Do you think so, Rigsby."

"Makes sense."

"Alright, we'll try this then." Jane went to his desk and pulled out a deck of cards from the drawer. He took the cards out of the box and fanned them out. "Pick a card."

Van Pelt and Cho were watching carefully as Rigsby picked one of the cards. "Keep it, Jane instructed and then proceeded to shuffle the deck. Jane set the deck on the desk. He then put his hands on his temples and closed his blue-green eyes. "Now, keep looking at that card. Picture it in your mind. Try and send it to me with only your thoughts."

Van Pelt let out a little giggle while Cho just tilted his head in observation. Jane nodded his head once and then opened his eyes. "Five of diamonds," he said, pointing his finger at Rigsby's card.

"Lucky guess," Rigsby said, handing the card back to Jane.

"Mind reading," Jane replied. He kept grinning to himself and reshuffled the deck of cards.

CBI Agent in Charge Henry Dalton chose at that moment to enter the squad room. He immediately spotted the cards in Jane's hand. "Hope your team isn't too bored, Cho."

"No sir," Cho assured him.

"Good, because I just had an interesting phone call from the FBI," Dalton said, "It looks like Red John has struck again, this time in Sparks, Nevada."

Jane visibly tensed at the mention of Red John. He snapped his gaze back to Dalton; ready to assimilate any other information he cared to give them.

"Why didn't they call us sooner?" Cho asked.

"The FBI wanted this one, but apparently Red John left something at the crime scene directed at you, Jane."

"Well I am his favorite pawn to play with," Jane replied. The words were icy cold, no trace of humor to be found in them.

"Pack up and head out immediately," Dalton ordered. He turned around to leave, but he only took a step before he went back to facing them again. "Oh, and you'll be working with an old friend. Agent Lisbon was the one who made the call."

TBC

* * *

A/N: So many questions! Why did Lisbon leave? She has a daughter? Why is Red John back and what is he after? And of course...who is Red John? All we can say is that all will be answered in due time. Until then sit back and enjoy the rid.

Reviews encourage us to write faster so please keep them coming!


	2. How Still the Riddle Lies

A/N: We still own nothing, we just borrow the characters for our own amusement

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: This is actually a pretty fast turn around. I'm so bogged down with school and all but I couldn't put this story down so here's a new chapter extra fast. The plot thickens little by little and next chapter is when some big things happen. Just wait

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: My sister did most of this chapter so kudos to her. Look closely and there will be some clues as to where this story will go, Jisbon wise. I hope you all like it

Note: the chapter title comes from the Emily Dickens poem The Secret

* * *

Chapter 2: How Still the Riddle Lies

The two teams had agreed to meet outside of Kristy Amberson's house the next morning, the preset time being at ten thirty. Ledford had opted to drive the rental car to the scene of Red John's latest crime, the arrangement was fine with Lisbon as she wasn't sure if she would be able to concentrate on driving anyways.

Instead she was looking out of the passenger window with the flat arid Nevada scenery passing her by, but she wasn't actually seeing it. Lisbon couldn't stop thinking about the past, the team she had once led, and the circumstances that resulted in her leaving. She wasn't fooling herself, she knew as soon as she'd been assigned to this case that it would eventually lead to her crossing paths with all of them again…it didn't make it any easier though.

Ledford pulled the car to a stop outside of Amberson's house but didn't turn the engine off so that the two agents could wait in the comfort of air conditioning instead of the stifling heat. "They should be here soon," Ledford said, checking his watch, "We can unseal the door once they arrive." Lisbon continued to look out the window and he knew that she might not have even heard him.

"Hey," he said louder and tapped her shoulder for emphasis, "You okay?"

She blinked and looked up at him, "Yeah…I'm fine," she saw the doubtful look on his face, "Really." His expression still said that he didn't believe a word she had just said. Lisbon sighed and shook her head, "They were my team. For eight years they were my team, they are good people and even better investigators." She looked back out the window, keeping her eyes away from his, "I just haven't seen them for five years and I…things were weird when I left and I'm not sure what they are going to think now."

He smiled reassuringly, "If they are your friends than I'm sure the will just be glad to see you again."

"I hope so," Lisbon replied but her voice didn't sound so sure.

The silence between them was broken by the sound of an SUV driving up. Lisbon didn't have to look to know it had California license plates, she knew it was them. Her hand wrapped around the door handle but she didn't pull it just yet. She took a calming breath and reminded herself to keep her guard up before she finally opened the door and stepped out into the Nevada heat.

The black sedan crawled to a stop. She held her breath as doors opened simultaneously. Rigsby had been driving with Cho in the passenger's seat; both men hadn't changed a bit. Rigsby smiled when he saw her while Cho remained stoic. However, she thought she saw his dark eyes get a little bit warmer. Van Pelt had been in the back seat. Grace's hair was a bit shorter than she remembered but she still had that same warm smile and sweet personality.

The last to step out of the vehicle was Jane, he closed the car door and Teresa could get an unobstructed view of him now. Still tall with the sandy blonde hair that was always rakishly askew and always his easy going smile that hid all the darkness underneath. He hadn't changed at all and Lisbon didn't know if she should happy or saddened by that fact.

_"Be cool,"_ she told herself and then put on a smile, "Hey guys."

"Good to see you again, Lisbon," Cho said. He held out his hand for a shake and she took it. She knew that Cho was ready to take command, that's what made leaving them just a bit easier. Not a lot, but a bit.

Lisbon shook Rigsby's hand too, but Van Pelt wouldn't accept a handshake and moved in to wrap Lisbon in a hug. "It's great to see you again," she said.

"Yes, Grace, I'm glad to see you too."

Once Grace pulled away, Lisbon had to meet Jane's eyes again. Nothing had changed; he still looked pleased to see her. "Jane," she said with a nod.

"Lisbon," he returned the nod, still smiling, "You look wonderful. Washington bureaucrats agree with you."

"Okay now I know you're lying," Lisbon replied with sarcastic twist. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Adam step up beside her. She smiled brightly and gestured to him, "This is my partner Agent Adam Ledford."

"Pleased to meet you," Adam said sticking out his hand to shake each one of theirs, "Lisbon has spoken about all of you often, it's nice to finally put faces to the stories."

"Oh yeah?" Rigsby asked interested, "Which stories?"

"Alright," Lisbon cut in, "we could stand out here in the heat and catch up or we could go inside and try to catch this guy…we can swap stories later," she tacked on as a promise, smiling at her old team softly.

Ledford cocked his head and led the way to the house, unlocking the door with the key in his hand and breaking the evidence seal to let them all in. Kristy Amberson's house was neat and but in a cluttered sort of way. Every table had two or three knick-knacks on it, Jane immediately walked into the home and studying them one by one. Years of working with him told Lisbon that Jane was simply getting a sense of the victim of who she once was before Red John took her life.

"The victim was killed in the bedroom," Ledford said, he was watching Jane carefully and Lisbon knew he was probably confused by Jane's methods of investigation, "the NDSP thinks that Red John picked the lock on the front door two nights ago at around two in the morning."

"They knew that this was a Red John case for two days and didn't call us?" Cho asked, his voice lacked emotion but Lisbon knew by the volume that he wasn't happy.

"Red John crossed state lines," Ledford reminded him, "That makes it FBI jurisdiction."

"We are the Red John task force," Cho replied, "we know the cases better than anyone, we should have been here sooner."

"NDSP called us first because they didn't know how to handle something like this," Lisbon stepped in, putting herself between Cho and her partner, "the Director wanted to make sure the FBI is in on this case this time because Red John is getting more national attention now."

"Red John is the CBI's case," Cho stated firmly.

"We're not here to take the case from the CBI," Lisbon explained, "but you know as well as I do that Red John is one smart bastard and he knows how to play with us. With the FBI working _with_ you, that means any evidence like DNA or fingerprints will get top priority, we can catch this guy faster but only with our help." She looked Cho in the eye, "I want to catch him Cho. I don't want to leave California again unless Red John is behind bars."

He studied her for a moment before nodding his head once, "Alright," and his features relaxed.

Lisbon smiled at him, "It'll be nice to work with you again Cho."

"Guys," Van Pelt piped in with a bewildered expression on her face, "Where's Jane?"

=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=

Jane opened the door to the bedroom knowing exactly what he would see. The red face grinned at him from the wall over the bed, tears of blood streamed from the eyes. It always shook him, no matter how many times he saw it. He always had to suppress the memories that wanted to surface, if he dealt with them now than whatever grip he had on his emotions would shatter completely.

He stepped into the room and stopped at the bed. The bedcovers were gone, stripped and taken away by the crime scene unit but there were still deep red stains on the mattress. It was easy for Jane to imagine what the scene had been like before with Kristy's body lying on the bed, the tell tale cuts that mutilated her.

Then another scene came to him. Jane could see the unnamed intruder standing where he was now, surveying his work like a pleased artist. Then dipping his hands in the wet and still warm blood for the finishing touch, his signature.

Jane could see it all…all except for the face, that still remained a mystery him.

The sound of soft footsteps on the carpet alerted Jane that his privacy was now interrupted. It was Lisbon that entered the room with her partner not far behind. Her hair was shorter than it had been five years ago, Jane noted, but she was on edge and it wasn't just the case that was making her so tense. She seemed comfortable with her partner though, no signs of any conflict between them. It would be interesting to see them interact more; he wondered just how much Lisbon had told him.

She looked up at him but didn't say anything, still trying to read his face and always failing miserably at that. You never try to read the master; it only brings frustration. "She was a loner," Jane spoke looking around the room, "she worked overtime almost every night, came home and waited until it was time to go to work again."

He stepped over to one of the bedside tables, "She didn't like being alone but didn't know how to be anything else," he held up a small stack of romance novels with a flourish and a smile, "and she was a romantic, wanted romance but didn't know how to find it. Probably she saw herself as a heroine trapped inside of a tower and she wanted the white knight to come and rescue her."

Jane set the books down, "She was also a bit of a control freak. Look at this house, spotless, every single object in a place for a reason…to make her feel like she had some power in her life." He smiled at Lisbon, "You two would have something in common." Immediately she glared at him and that only made his smile broader.

Ledford cleared his throat, "What does this tell us about Red John?"

"Nothing," Jane told him, "but it may help us determine why he chose poor Kristy Amberson to be his next victim."

He looked back onto the bloodstained bed and the smile melted from his face. Lisbon saw his eyes become blood chillingly cold and she knew immediately what was going to be said next. "You said that Red John left a message for me."

Lisbon took out an evidence bag from the case file in her hands and gave it to him, "This was found on the table beside the bed…I think it belonged to your daughter."

He took the picture from her and studied it, taking in the drawing, the scribbled lines and the uneven colors. Jane flipped the drawing over and saw the childlike scrawl on the back that spelled out his dead child's name. His eyes closed for a moment as he willed the image of the curly haired girl with the cherubic smile to leave him be for a moment, he didn't have the privacy to indulge in his demons for the moment. "I don't remember this," Jane admitted, his voice was thick and heavy with emotion; he couldn't hide that. "My daughter drew dozens of pictures and Ange…my wife, she would keep them all." He looked down at the drawing again, his finger tracing Charlotte's name, "I think it's hers."

Jane handed the drawing back to Lisbon but refused to meet her eyes, he had no desire to see the pity that was undoubtedly there. He turned his back to them for a moment so that he could collect himself and once more hide the pain. A few deep breaths and he was in control again, only then did he see that he was facing the bloodstained bed again.

"He killed her for a reason," Jane said and turned back to look at Lisbon and her partner.

"He's a serial killer Jane," Lisbon reminded him, "his reason is simply to feed his desire to kill."

"No it's more than that," he told her, "if this was just about satisfying his desires than he would have killed in California. Why did he come to Nevada then?" He smiled at Lisbon's confused look, "There is something about the victim, something that we haven't found yet."

Lisbon was quiet, taking in what he'd said and coming to the realization that he was right. Ledford had his eyes on the drawing in Lisbon's hand, "Do you know what the message is?" Lisbon visibly winced at her partner's question…she didn't want to see Jane in that kind of pain again.

Jane fixed a blank stare on the drawing, "No."

"Maybe he just wanted to get your attention," Lisbon broke her silence, "we know he particularly likes to mess with you."

He shook his head, "If he just wanted to do that then he simply would have painted Kristy's toes in blood…this feels different."

"It is," Ledford agreed, "a killer like Red John only gives up one of his trophies for a reason."

Jane nodded but he was looking at the bed now, "He's trying to tell me something, that's what the drawing means." He looked back to Lisbon, "And the victim means something too, if we want to find out why he killed her than we need to look into Kristy Amberson."

He glanced around the room once more, "That's it I'm done," he said and made his way for the door.

Lisbon looked stunned, "Wait, we haven't finished yet."

Jane smiled again, that smirk that annoyed her to no end, "There's nothing else here but if you want to keep searching for nothing then I won't stop you." He walked down the hallway and shouted behind him, "I'll be in the car."

Ledford and Teresa watched him leave with identical expressions of shock on their faces. Rigsby stepped into view from the living room and looked back at them looking confused as well. Adam looked back at his partner for an explanation and Teresa shrugged, "The answer is yes, he's always like this."

* * *

After both teams had deduced that Jane was right and there was nothing more to be found at the residence they left for the Sparks crime lab to go over the evidence that was still there and to speak with Detective Brandly. Lisbon could see immediately that Van Pelt was as charmed by the older detective as she had been, the man had a quality that made any woman feel like they were sitting on their grandfather's knee again.

It was the same conference room with the same pictures and evidence spread out on the table in front of it but this time it was a lot more cramped with Cho's team now sitting around it as well. The CBI team studied the photographs in front of them, searching for the evidence that might have been missed, some mistake that Red John might have made. Jane was the one who insisted that such a mistake was not there.

Lisbon hated to say it but she had to agree with Jane. She knew just as well as he did that Red John didn't make mistakes anymore.

"The crime itself isn't important anymore," Jane insisted, "we know _how_ he did this what he need to know is _why._ Why Kristy Amberson…that's what we should be focusing on."

"Alright," Lisbon said, "Where do you think we should start?"

He turned towards Detective Brandly, "Did Kristy have any close friends? Anyone that she would confide in?"

Brandly was taken aback a little by the question, "Uh…I'm not sure. Hillary Granger was the one who found the victim; they worked together. At the very least she might give you a place to start."

"Where does Hillary Granger live?" Lisbon asked.

The detective looked through his notes, "She lives in an apartment on the East side of the city, on…22 Gilbrace Street, apartment 214." He pulled out a map and marked the location on it before handing it to Lisbon.

"Thank you," she said genuinely before standing up to grab her jacket, "I'll go talk to her, see what she knows." She turned to the team and almost said for Van Pelt to follow her but stopped. She wasn't their boss and they weren't her team…she couldn't issue orders to them anymore unless she went through Cho. For a moment Lisbon felt truly lost.

"I'll stay here and finish going through the file with them," Landford said, his eyes meeting Lisbon's making it clear that he knew exactly what she was feeling just then. He turned to Cho; "You want to send one of your guys with her?"

Cho nodded, "Rigsby, go with Lisbon and see what you can learn from the victims friend."

Lisbon finally collected herself again and she saw that Jane was watching her intently, "Jane, I have a feeling you are going to invite yourself along anyways."

He smiled, "I'd love to Lisbon."

=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=

Lisbon was the one behind the wheel of the rental car she and Ledford were sharing. After Rigsby had oriented them on the map Brandly had given them, the car had lapsed into silence for several minutes. It felt a bit awkward for her, five years ago trips like this would have been filled with small talk or ideas on the case but now…it was almost like driving with strangers again.

"How are you doing Rigsby?" she finally asked, determined to get back into good standing with her old friends.

He was a bit surprised by the question but quickly answered, "Good, really good Lisbon."

She smiled, "I didn't get to congratulate you and Van Pelt on the wedding. I'm sorry that I missed it. Did you get my gift?"

Rigsby nodded and genuinely smiled, "Grace likes to use the wine glasses and candle sticks whenever we want to celebrate something special."

Lisbon grinned, "That's good, it sounds like you two are really happy together. I had a feeling somehow it would all work out again."

"It was a beautiful wedding," Jane said from the back seat, "on the beach at sunset…lovely."

Her smile faltered a bit at being reminded at what she'd missed, "I'm sorry I didn't make it. I wanted to go, but a case came up and I…"

"We understood," Rigsby assured her, "We know how the job works."

Lisbon knew that he meant it but it didn't make her feel any better. "That reminds me. I wanted to ask you, how'd you get around the regulations? The rules are pretty clear on interoffice relationships." She thought for a second. "Don't take this the wrong way, I'm very happy that you and Van Pelt worked it out, I just want to know how you did it."

While Rigsby considered the question for a moment Lisbon noticed in the rearview mirror that Jane was grinning. "It was Jane," Rigsby finally said, "He spoke to the D.A.G and got him to reevaluate the regulations."

"What did he say? How did he…" Lisbon began and then realized just whom they were talking about, "Actually, I don't want to know, do I?"

"Probably not," Rigsby agreed.

"Oh come on!" Jane exclaimed, "I didn't break any laws or do anything wrong…technically." Lisbon groaned and he just chuckled, "The important thing is that everyone is happy…especially Deputy Attorney General Miller."

"Please stop talking," Lisbon cut in quickly. Jane complied but continued to smirk at her through the mirror.

"What about you?" Rigsby asked changing the subject, "Anything happen to you since you left?"

Lisbon froze. She hadn't thought at all about what she would tell them. What could she say? "Work," she finally blurted out, "that's about it…" she searched desperately for something else to say. "My brother Will just got married a couple of months ago…but nothing else."

"That's nice," Rigsby said politely.

She nodded simply and tried to calm her nerves down. She looked up in the rearview mirror and saw that Jane was staring intently at her. Lisbon could only hope that he wouldn't press the issue, she didn't even try to fool herself into believe that he didn't know she'd lied.

"That's it," Rigsby pointed to a red brick apartment building on her side. Lisbon smoothly pulled the car into one of the spaces that lined the street outside of it. All three of them got out of the car and walked into the building.

"Detective Brandly said it was number 214," Lisbon reminded them as they waited for the elevator to arrive. Her eyes turned to the former psychic that was standing next to her, "And Jane, try not to be your self in there. I don't want to explain to the Director of the FBI that we got information from hypnosis."

He looked amused, "You have your tools and I have mine."

She rolled her eyes, "Just try and be professional, it's been a while since I've had to deal with you in an investigation." She stepped onto the elevator and muttered under her breath, "I'd forgotten what it was like to be sued because of a consultant."

Jane laughed softly and but she was surprised to see Rigsby smiling as well, "What?" she asked him.

"Nothing," he said shaking his head, "Just like old times is all."

Even she had to smile at that thought.

Apartment 214 was just down the hall on the second floor. Rigsby knocked on the door and a few moments later Hillary Granger opened it. She was a pretty young woman, in her late twenties with strawberry blonde hair and hazel eyes. She was startled to see three strangers standing out side of her apartment, "Who are you?"

Lisbon put on her reassuring smile, "Ms Granger. I'm agent Teresa Lisbon of the FBI this is Agent Rigsby and Patrick Jane from the CBI, we're here to talk to you about Kristy Amberson."

Almost instantly, Hillary began to cry, "I'm so sorry," she gasped out, "Please come in." Then she ran towards the box of Kleenex on her small kitchen counter.

They waited patiently for her to calm down, after several moments she collected herself again, "I'm really sorry about that." Hillary took a deep breath and looked to Rigsby with her now red-rimmed eyes, "What's the CBI?"

"It's the California Bureau of Investigation," he explained, "We think that there is a connection between with Kristy's murder and some cases in California."

"Oh," she said softly and brushed another tear from her face, she looked to Jane, "Are you an agent too?"

"I'm a consultant who works with the CBI," he explained. Jane was looking around the apartment just like he had done at Kristy's home Lisbon noticed.

Teresa took the lead, "Ms. Granger, I know this is difficult for you but we really need you to answer some questions for us."

Hillary nodded, "I don't know what else I can say though, I told everything to the detectives at Kristy's house."

"Did Kristy have many friends?" Jane asked immediately.

Hillary blinked surprised at his question, "Um… no, Kristy liked to keep to herself," she explained.

"But you were close to her." It was a statement not a question.

She shrugged, "I guess, as close as she would let me," Hillary sat up straighter in her seat, "Kristy just didn't relate well to people. She was good with her patients but when it came to talking with co-workers…"

"That's good," Jane said and leaned closer to Hillary, "but she spoke to you sometimes didn't she."

"Well…yeah," Hillary replied, "I felt sorry for her. I mean she must have been lonely but when I tried to help she just…didn't know what to do."

"But when it was just the two of you," Jane cut it, "she would talk to you about her personal life."

"She didn't really have a personal life," Hillary explained, "I mean she never told me about guys and stuff. Just sometimes she would tell me about her family, childhood stories you know?"

Jane nodded, "Yes I know…did she mention anyone in these stories?"

Hillary shook her head, "Just her parents and cousins, no one special. I don't know why this is important I mean the stories were just kids stuff about growing up in California."

"Kristy was from California," Lisbon repeated showing her surprise.

"Yeah," Hillary said, "until she went off to college. I got the feeling that she didn't really like California…that she was glad to leave it behind."

"Where in California?" Jane asked, his voice determined.

"I…I think she mentioned White Springs," Hillary replied, "but it was a while ago, I might be wrong."

"That's fine Hillary," Jane told her calmly.

"Can you think of anything else?" Lisbon asked now, sensing the end of the interview looming.

She shook her head, "No, like I said Kristy didn't say much to anybody."

Lisbon nodded, "That's okay, you've given us something to go on," she took out a card and handed it to her, "If you think of anything else please call my cell."

The three of them got up to leave but Hillary followed them to the door, "Agent Lisbon," she called out and they turned, "This guy…the one who killed Kristy…do you think you'll catch him?"

"I'm going to do my best," Lisbon told her honestly.

She wished she could promise that she would, she wanted to give Hillary that assurance but she couldn't.

When it came to Red John they could never be sure of anything at all.

* * *

Like old times the teams' brainstorm session took place over plates of barbecue chicken and coleslaw. The six investigators had commandeered a large table at one of the national chain restaurants that sold halfway decent food at reasonable prices

"So the victim was from California," Ledford said taking a sip of his water, "that doesn't mean much. A lot of people from Nevada are from California, the states are right next to each other."

"It means that the victim has a connection to California," Jane explained knowingly, "that connection somehow leads to Red John."

"You can't know that."

"I know that Red John is trying to speak to me," Jane told him, "I know that he used Kristy Amberson to get me that message and that he chose Kristy for a reason."

"It doesn't matter what the reason is," Lisbon cut in, "the fact is that there is a lead that suggests a connection to California, since that is where most of Red John's killings are then we cannot ignore it."

"If he is trying to communicate with you," Ledford began, his voice betraying his doubt, "then what do you believe he is trying to say?"

Jane kept a detached look on his face, his hand was tapping out a soft rhythm on the table, "I don't know," he admitted, "It is something I will have to figure out."

"Do you think he is just trying to taunt you?" Cho asked sitting back a little in his chair, "and the drawing is a part of that."

"Red John isn't angry with me anymore," Jane told him, "this isn't an insult but simply a puzzle that I am supposed to solve."

Ledford studied Jane for a moment, "It is significant that he gave up the drawing. From what I've gathered from the case files Red John has never taken any trophies before."

"It's true," Grace piped in, "this is the first indication we've seen of that."

"Yes," Ledford continued, "that indicates something about the suspect. He's a proud man, he views his killings like an artist views his work, they are creations that he has nourished to completion." He leaned forward to look Jane in the eye, "I've read about you. You were the one that spit in the devil's eye and he fought back. You see, your family's murder wasn't just another work of art for him…it was his masterpiece. That is why he took the drawing; he wanted that keepsake of his favorite piece. That was the killing that he took the most satisfaction out of because he imagined and fantasized not on the killing…but on _you_. On what you would do when you saw his work.

"But you surprised him. He believed that after he killed your family that would be the end of it but no…now you have given him something even better. Now he is the one being chased by someone with something to prove. It's thrilling to him…and now he knows that he is not the only one who can appreciate his artistry…now there is you." Ledford explained, "he gave up his treasure to the only other person who can understand it's worth. He communicates with you because he wants you to continue to do what you are doing now…chasing him."

Ledford sat back and took a sip of water, his speech finished but the tension at the table was still thick. Jane was sitting perfectly still, his eyes never once leaving Adam, his face cold as stone.

"That was…" Rigsby began but was at a loss for words, "where did all of that come from."

Lisbon smiled to try and break the ice, "Ledford was a profiler for law enforcement before he joined the FBI; sometimes he gets caught up in it and forgets to dial it down." She could see Jane was still not moving; his eyes were still cold and dead. "Why…why don't we drop this for now and try to sit and catch up like normal people," she said carefully. Lisbon turned her head to Grace with a bright smile; "I was talking to Rigsby in the car about your wedding. I'd like to hear more about it."

Van Pelt put down the fork she had been holding and looked up at her former boss and smiled a bit awkwardly, "Where do you want me to start? We had it on the beach; it was small but really beautiful. My dad was crying when he gave me away though."

Rigsby reached over the table and squeezed his wife's hand lovingly and the two smiled at each other like newlyweds all over again, making Lisbon's heart melt. She peeked out of the corner of her eye and saw that Jane was watching them now and he had a small smile on his face. She was relieved to see that he was beginning to come around again.

"The reception was the best part," Cho said interrupting the couple's reminiscing, "good food, lots of food and Jane freaking all of the guests out."

"I'm almost afraid to ask," Lisbon laughed, "What did he do?"

"That's an exaggeration," Jane cut in, his voice light with amusement, "I was nothing if not charming."

Grace laughed and rolled her eyes, "He went around to all of the guest and guessed all of the wedding presents they had gotten."

Lisbon laughed shaking her head, "I can see him doing that, he always guesses our birthday presents every year."

"Her dad thought he had somehow unwrapped and rewrapped all of the gifts," Rigsby continued, "He confronted Jane, and he's a _big_ guy, and demanded to know how Jane did it." He laughed for a moment, "I thought he might actually attack Jane in the middle of the reception."

"He wasn't going to do that," Jane interjected, "He might look intimidating but really underneath that exterior he is soft and warm."

"Your wedding present calmed him down a lot," Cho said simply.

Lisbon turned towards Jane, "What did you get them?" several thoughts came to mind, "Oh my God, you bought them a house didn't you?"

Jane smiled, "As if they would have accepted that."

"He bought us a honeymoon," Grace explained smiling sweetly at Jane, "we were just going to go to the Napa Valley but instead he sent us on a Mediterranean Cruise."

"It was awesome," Rigsby exclaimed, "nine days off the coast of Italy in a suite, all of the perks."

"The scenery was breathtaking," Van Pelt added, "we got to see Venice, Rome, Athens, it was just extraordinary."

"And we didn't stop hearing about it for months," Cho piped in.

Rigsby turned an accusing eye to him, "We got you a gift."

"Yeah, a stupid hat," He deadpanned making everyone laugh.

"I think I need to see this hat," Lisbon teased with a grin.

"No!"

She was still laughing when her cell phone began to ring. She looked at the number on the screen and saw that it was her home. Lisbon stood up from the table, "I need to take this," she told them before walking away and finding a small private area to answer.

"Hi Cassie," Lisbon said sweetly into the phone.

"Mommy!" the little girl exclaimed, "I miss you!"

"I miss you too baby."

"Did you catch the bad guy yet?"

Lisbon sighed sadly, "No, we haven't caught him yet." She didn't tell Cassie that it would more than likely be awhile before they arrested Red John. She didn't want to disappoint her.

"I hope you catch him soon."

"I do too Cassie," and she meant it. She wanted to go home and see her little girl again. It was always difficult having to live a large part of Cassie's life through a cell phone. "Are you still practicing for your ballet recital?"

"Uh huh," Cassie replied cheerfully, "the dresses are pretty, blue and green with sparkles!"

"Wow that does sound pretty."

The little voice on the end grew quiet, "Will you come home to see it?" she asked somberly.

It broke Lisbon's heart every time, "I'll do my best," she promised knowing that she couldn't actually promise anything. This wouldn't be the first ballet recital she would miss.

"Okay mommy," Cassie said but her voice reflected the fact that she knew her mother could very well miss it.

Lisbon looked at her watch, adjusting for the time difference and saw that it was almost half and hour after the normal time Cassie would be in bed. "Cassie…is it past your bed time?"

There was silence on the other end followed by a guilty, "I wanted to talk to you Mommy."

Lisbon almost laughed, almost. "Cassie you need to hang up the phone and go to sleep now; let Marisol tuck you in. Be a good girl."

"Okay Mommy," she grumbled and this time Lisbon really did laugh a little.

"I love you Cassie," she told her daughter sweetly.

"I love you too Mommy."

After Lisbon hung up the phone she waited a moment to collect her self and prepare for the lie. It was hard keeping Cassie separate from her friends but after five years she wasn't sure if she even had the courage to tell them the truth now. With a few deep breaths Lisbon walked back to the table to join them. "That was the director," Lisbon told Ledford, "He just wanted an update on the case."

When she sat down the table fell silent for a moment and Lisbon knew that the carefree conversation between her friends was over for now. Now they were investigators once again, "I think we need to move the investigation to California," she broke the silence, "Jane is right, Kristy's connection can't be ignored and we need to explore that. I think we have found everything we can here in Nevada."

"You want to move this to the CBI?" Ledford asked.

She nodded, "We can stay here for the night and drive to CBI HQ tomorrow morning, pick up the investigation there."

Cho looked at Lisbon, "I agree. We have the case files on Red John and can look into Kristy Amberson's past from there."

"Sounds like a plan," Rigsby piped in.

"Good, we can pay the check here, get some sleep tonight and leave in the morning." Lisbon said with a satisfied look. She wanted to hide the fact that she was a little nervous about returning to California.

She didn't have to turn to know that Jane was watching her either…that unsettled her even more.

* * *

Teresa was furious with herself that she had left her cell phone in the car after they returned to the hotel. The damn object practically lived in her hand, how could she have left it in the cup holder? For all she knew Griffins had already filled up her voicemail box with demands to know how the investigation was going.

She locked the car again and pocketed the phone. The lobby was still open and bright though it was dark in Nevada. She ignored the receptionist that looked up as she walked past, focused solely on the elevator that would bring her back to her floor. Apparently the elevator was still up one on the top floors because it didn't open right away.

"You're up late," she heard Jane say from her left. Lisbon turned her head and saw that he had come up beside her without her notice. He likely had just come from the gift shop now turning out it's lights but he didn't have any purchases with him.

"I left my cell phone in the car," she explained, "Are you wandering the grounds again?"

"Like a lonely ghost, if you believe in that sort of thing."

"You should consider getting some sleep," Lisbon said.

"Eh," he made a show of wrinkling his nose and shaking his head, "Hotel beds are uncomfortable."

"Yes and that couch back at HQ is designed for sleep," she said, her words laced with sarcasm.

The doors finally opened and she stepped inside. She was surprised to find that Jane was following her into the elevator. "I thought you were trying to be a ghost."

"I find talking to you more enjoyable at the moment."

"Yes well, I'm going to bed soon so I'm not up for a long conversation," Lisbon replied. She hadn't talked much to Jane since he had returned into her life. What words they exchanged had mostly been about this case. She didn't want to return to the past. It was better to just focus on the case.

But Jane had taken a hit today. He'd been reminded about the child he'd lost twelve years ago. He never spoke of his family and she knew he didn't like to think about them.

The elevator stopped at the chosen floor and opened. Its passengers stepped out into the hallway. Lisbon remembered Jane's reaction at dinner. Red John made him freeze up, go inside of himself. She could only imagine what darkness lurked in there. Maybe that was why he was wandering the halls tonight. He was afraid to think and to dream.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

"Fine," he replied as if there couldn't possibly be any other answer.

"I know that you weren't expecting Charlotte's drawing," she said.

Jane nodded a little. "I didn't know he took anything."

Besides their lives. Those words hung behind the sentence as an obvious testament to the true theft of Red John.

"Once this investigation is over you could ask for the drawing," Lisbon said.

Jane surprised her by shaking his head. "It's Red John's now. I don't want it."

She knew Red John had broken him. She had been see him the night he lost his family, though he didn't remember. Sometimes she wanted him to open up and just tell her how badly damaged he was. Sometimes she wanted to ask him why he had pushed her away.

But those thoughts would lead to nothing. Jane was too locked up. He never let anyone inside.

"I'm sorry about Ledford," she said, "He's really into his job sometimes. He didn't mean to dredge up any bad memories."

Jane gave her a grin. "Your concern is touching, Lisbon, but I assure you I'm fine."

She wasn't sure if he was lying or not. One annoying thing about Jane was how incredibly good he was at lying.

"Does your director always call you so late?" Jane asked.

"What are you talking about?" Lisbon replied.

"Your phone call at dinner, it would have been close to nine in Washington."

"The Director of the FBI doesn't care about the time," Lisbon replied, "When he wants to know something, he'll call."

It was true enough. Sure Griffins hadn't been the one to call her, but he easily could have been. She didn't know what Jane was fishing for. He likely suspected something, it was Jane after all.

"Earlier you said you haven't been doing anything for the past five years but work." Jane grinned and said, "I find that hard to believe."

He definitely suspected something.

Lisbon put on a smile and replied, "Sorry, Jane, but I haven't been doing anything particularly interesting for the past five years. But it has been nice not having to chase after you every day."

Jane chuckled and shook his head. "Maybe that's why you haven't done anything exciting. I suppose life is boring for you now."

"More like relaxing," she replied then immediately regretted it. She looked back at Jane. Sure enough he had noticed the word and his eyes were twinkling. A playful grin spread across his face. She was in trouble now.

"Now that's interesting," he said.

Before he could say anything else or he could continue to pry answers from her with his eyes, Lisbon shook her head at him. "I'm going to my room now."

"Is that an invitation?" he asked.

Lisbon called over her shoulder. "Follow me and I'll shoot you."

She could hear Jane laughing as she used her key to open the door and enter the haven of her hotel room.

* * *

Lisbon hadn't slept much after her run in with Jane; too many memories had been dredged up. What made it worse was that she'd only had herself to blame; she never should have made that crack about relaxing, that word was linked to only one thing in her mind now.

Both teams loaded up their vehicles early in preparation for the drive to Sacramento. This time Lisbon was the one behind the wheel with Ledford taking the passenger's side as they followed her old team on the interstate.

"They're interesting people," Ledford declared when he and Lisbon were alone in the car, "Seem like real professionals."

"Even Jane?" she asked smartly.

He smiled, "I suppose I should have said he was the exception," but he grew serious, "Still Patrick Jane is without a doubt the most interesting."

"Interesting is one way to describe him," she admitted.

"I suppose complicated is a better term," Ledford teased, "Is this weird for you, being back and working with them again?"

She mulled over the question for a minute, "I don't know. In some ways it is strange because so much has happened and so much has changed…in other ways it feels like I'm back to where I was most comfortable."

That was a confession she hadn't expected, while she might have admitted in the privacy of her own home late at night that she missed California and her team…she'd never said so to anyone else. Lisbon shook her head and sighed, "The past is best left behind." She said it firmly, making it clear to her partner that the conversation was over.

A few minutes later she saw on the other side of the road the forest green sign with white letters exclaiming _Welcome to California. _

There was a heaviness on Lisbon's heart as they crossed the border and she wondered if she really could outrun the past anymore or if her return to California meant it was all going to come up again.

_Well_, she thought,_ I'm back._

_

* * *

_A/N: Well what did you think? Lisbon is now back in California and we all know the past isn't going to stay buried for long...but what past? And what is Red John trying to tell Jane? All answers in due time.

Please review and tell us what you think.


	3. What a Tangled Web We Weave

Disclaimer: We own nothing

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: So this took a little longer and I'm sorry for that but I've been super busy at school. The good news is that this is a longer chapter so it balances out! I'm excited that you guys are really enjoying this fic and I hope you guys keep it up. I'd love to hear your theories about where you think this story is going to take you but I'll warn you, I'm not going to confirm or deny anything!

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: Yeah, school got in the way of writing time, hopefully that won't happen again. We totally want to hear your thoughts, particularly when it comes to the flashbacks. We have some internal debates on if we want to add more or less so feel free to tell us if you like them or not. On with the show.

Note: the chapter title comes from the Walter Scott's Marmion Canto sixth, stanza seventeen "Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive"

* * *

Chapter 3: What A Tangled Web We Weave

It was strange for Lisbon to be looking out of the window and see the familiar sight of Sacramento. It was even more strange staying in a hotel now when she used to call this city home. But California had been her refuge every since she had jettisoned from Chicago to attend college in sunny L.A. She had built her career in California. Sometimes she still found it hard to believe that she had just walked away from it.

She would have to get Ledford and head to the CBI Headquarters in an hour, but she wanted to gather her composure. She had kept a sturdy exterior but seeing her old team had made her realize just how much she missed them all. Including Jane.

Of course he was part of the reason she had kicked the California sand off of her shoes and moved to Washington. Many times Teresa had to catch herself from asking him why things had ended the way they did. It didn't really matter anymore. She had forged a new life for herself that included her child. Jane had simply continued with his quest for vengeance.

Lisbon pushed Jane out of her mind and picked up her cell phone. She hit the speed dial and listened to the ring. After a two rings she was greeted with a, "Hello?" in a heavy Spanish accent.

"Hi, Marisol," Lisbon said.

"Oh, Miss Terésa, how are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you for asking."

"Are you still in Nevada?"

"No, I'm in California now," Lisbon said, "Sacramento."

"_Sí_, I remember now. Would you like me to put Cassandra on the phone?"

"Yes, please."

There was a silence and then an eager shout of "Mommy!"

"Hey sweetie," Lisbon said into the phone with a smile, "How is my Alberta Einstein?"

"Good, but mommy, I miss you."

"I miss you too, baby. I'm trying to get this done as fast as I can so I can get home to you."

"I still wish I could help," Cassie said, "Mrs. Hutchinson says I am good at drawing. Are you sure I can't draw the bad guys for you?"

Lisbon chuckled. "I'm sorry, sweetie."

"Jenny's having a birthday party next week," Cassie said.

"That sounds like fun."

"Her daddy is going to bring a magician."

The wistful way her little voice said 'daddy' made Lisbon's heart ache. Ever since she was three, Cassie had been curious about the absent parent in her life. It was especially difficult whenever one of her friends talked about what they did with their fathers.

"Honey, we talked about this," she said gently, "your daddy just isn't ready yet."

"I know, mommy," Cassie replied, but she still sounded a bit sad. "When he is ready, do you think he'll bring a magician to my birthday."

Lisbon laughed a little. "I don't know, Cassie. Maybe he'd be the magician."

"Oh I hope so!"

"I've got to go, sweetheart. I love you," Lisbon said.

"I love you too, mommy. Bye bye."

"Bye."

Lisbon reluctantly hit the END button on her phone and tucked it back into her purse. It was getting harder and harder to break her daughter's heart every time she brought up her father. It would only get worse when she got older and demanded more answers as to why he had never been involved in her life.

She couldn't dwell on it though. If she did, she would question her decision from five years ago. It was better if it was just her and Cassie. No one could be forever heartbroken this way.

* * *

Entering the CBI head quarters for the first time in five years reminded Lisbon of when she first set foot in the building on her first day on the job. She was nervous like she was that day and she felt out of place again as well, the only difference was that everything was so familiar now.

Lisbon entered the building unsure of what to expect, as soon as she walked through the doors she saw some familiar faces…and drew plenty of stares. She smiled at the receptionist Sarah, who recognized her but was too surprised to say anything. Ralph the security guard greeted her with a big grin, "Agent Lisbon, they finally brought you back? Is it only for a visit or dare I hope it's permanent."

She laughed, "It's good to see you again Ralph, but I hate to disappoint you, I'm only here as long as it takes to wrap up this case."

He frowned slightly, "I suppose it would be in bad taste to say that I hope it takes a while."

"It might." She told him with a smile, "but I appreciate the sentiment."

Lisbon continued on her way passing by the familiar offices and former co-workers all whispering as soon as she walked past. She saw the door to the Special Agent Charge's office and couldn't help but recall Special Agent Minnelli, her first CBI boss and more importantly, a good friend. A lot of events had taken place under his watchful eyes, not the least of which was the hiring of an unconventional and unpredictable consultant.

=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=

_Ten Years Ago_

The murder of Keith Underton had occurred yesterday and Lisbon was already blank on where to go next. The man didn't have a girlfriend as far as they knew, his family lived on the East Coast and his colleagues attested that they couldn't fathom why he would be killed.

"Go over his phone records again," she instructed Rigsby, "Try going back a few more months and see if anything looks off. Cho, look at his appointments again. Was there anyone he met with more often than anyone else?"

"Lisbon?" she heard Manelli say from behind her. She turned around to answer him. "Yes, sir?"

"Can I see you for a few moments?"

Had he deduced that she was completely lost? Sure, she had only been lead agent for eight months but he couldn't think of her as incompetent. Her team had managed to solve nearly every case…except for Red John.

Lisbon refused to show her concern on her face as she walked into Manelli's office. Immediately, she saw that her boss was not alone. Not only that, but she recognized the visitor.

"Agent Lisbon, I don't know if you know Patrick Jane," Manelli said as an introduction.

The man she had only known for a few moments two years ago had changed marginally. His sandy hair wasn't combed into a precise, perfect manner, but left in loose waves. He still wore a suit, but lacked a tie so it gave him a more casual appearance. The first and last time she had seen him he'd been consumed by his own pain and guilt. Now he gave her a brilliant smile and held out his hand. "A pleasure to meet you."

She half-expected an 'again' to be tacked on. Lisbon shook his hand and looked for any sign of recognition in his face. There was none.

It was actually a bit of relief. She probably should never have spoken to him to begin with. Besides being completely unprofessional, it had been in bad form. He had been grieving and likely had wanted to be left alone. Now only she would be aware of her foolishness.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Jane?" she asked.

"I came by to ask Agent Manelli about the Red John case and he told me that you are leading the investigation."

Lisbon nodded, "I understand, you are asking for any updated information."

"Yes, I've been away for a while and haven't received any news," he explained.

"Well a phone call likely would have been a better solution," she replied, "You see I'm working other cases."

Mr. Jane gave her a small frown. "I was under the impression that Red John was your top priority."

Great, he was one of _those_. The grieving family member who thought that their case eclipsed everything else. Lisbon understood that many people were selfish in their grief, it was certainly forgivable, but it could also be irritating.

"It is," she said calmly, "but he hasn't struck again in a while so the case has gone cold. We only have a limited amount of investigators so my team has to work on more recent cases. When we have the time, we look in on Red John again."

He nodded, but she doubted that he really understood her. But if he wasn't going to argue the point then she wasn't going to further explain the procedure. "I am sorry to tell you that we don't have any new information," she said, "We don't have a name or a face for Red John. He has yet to leave fingerprints or DNA to further give us clues to his identity. I can promise you that we are trying our very best to find him."

"Perhaps it's not enough."

He had lost his wife and daughter; Lisbon had to remind herself of that fact. He didn't actually mean to question her skill; he was just blinded by his grief. Still, she couldn't help the fact that her reply was a bit tight. "I'm sorry, Mr. Jane, but that is all that I can do for you."

Lisbon gave him a curt nod and then left Manelli's office. Eight months ago she had been given Garner's position along with the Red John case. She had been honored by Manelli's sign of good faith in her, but her tireless efforts had produced nothing. Red John was still as elusive as ever. But that didn't give that man a right to consider her insufficient.

"Agent Lisbon," she heard Mr. Jane say. Apparently he wasn't through nailing her to the wall.

"I apologize, but I'm very busy," she replied over her shoulder.

"I'm sorry if I offended you."

"I'm not offended," she said.

"Of course you are," he replied, "You took what I said to be a criticism of your skills. I assure you that is not the case. I was merely suggesting that you might be in need of help."

Ah, so he thought the CBI under qualified for such a task. Probably thought that the FBI should take the case. Well if he was smart he wouldn't say that out loud. It never irritated a state law enforcement officer more than suggesting that only the Bureau and their superior resources could find Red John. Sometimes it didn't matter how much fancy technology was one your side. Sometimes you just needed brains and sheer determination.

"Mr. Jane," she said his name to stay cool, "I don't mean to insult you, but the truth is that you are a civilian. You don't have any investigative training so you can't possibly understand where to begin. I promise that the CBI is doing everything in our power to find Red John."

Patrick Jane didn't look insulted or even just a teensy bit slightly. Honestly, he looked amused which annoyed her more than a little.

"Boss?" Cho called out for her. Lisbon turned around and saw that he had his head poked out of the doorway.

"Cho?" she asked, grateful for his interruption.

"Mrs. Cassini is here for her interview."

"Thanks," she said and then looked back at the nuisance. "Good day to you, Mr. Jane."

Lisbon returned to her office where Mrs. Cassini waited. The woman with the Italian name had clear California looks. Honey blond hair, dark blue eyes and golden skin. The color likely came from a bottle and the tan was from an expensive spa. Her clothes were top of the line, twice Lisbon's paycheck kind of expensive. The woman had been lucky enough to land Gerardo Cassini, the famous lingerie and swimsuit designer for the rich and elegant.

"Thank you Mrs. Cassini for coming down here," Lisbon said and gave her a polite smile.

The third Mrs. Cassini was young and clearly not used to being empowered. Perhaps the rumors were true and Cassini had found her working as a cocktail waitress in New York. Normally women in her class didn't come to CBI headquarters, CBI agents had to come to them.

"It's no trouble at all," she said, "When I got your call I thought it best to clear things up as soon as possible."

"Yes, well I need to ask you about the cameraman, Keith Underton."

Mrs. Cassini nodded. "Yes, he worked on my husbands commercials for the Scarlet Sin Lingerie campaign three months ago."

"Have you had any contact with him recently?"

The woman thought for a moment and then shook her head. "No I have not."

Lisbon picked up the phone records on her desk. "Are you sure, ma'am? It says here you called him last week."

"Oh, I'd completely forgotten!" she exclaimed, "Yes, I asked if he would be willing to film my charity group's next function. I volunteer with the Blessed Darlings Children's Foundation and we're holding a fashion show. I was hoping Mr. Underton would film the event and then we'd post the tape on the Internet to spark more interest."

"I see," Lisbon said absently. Her attention was not on Mrs. Cassini but on the man waving frantically at her just beyond the door.

Patrick Jane.

"Would you excuse me for just a moment?"

Lisbon got up from her chair and exited her office, all the while glaring at the blonde man with the far too charming smile. "What do you think you are doing?" she hissed, "Trying to guide a plane to the landing strip?"

"She's lying," he said, "That woman was having an affair with your victim."

She shook her head a little. "_How_ could you _possibly_ know that?"

"Her reaction to the phone records," he explained, "she was overacting. She was also playing with her hair when she was giving you her explanation, a nervous tell."

Guessing. That was all he had to offer. Lisbon took in a breath and let it out into a long sigh. "Mr. Jane, I really think that it is time that you went home."

"You don't believe me," he stated, "Well that's alright." She smiled in relief, but then he said, "I'll prove it to you."

"What?" she asked in alarm just as he was striding towards her office.

Mr. Jane walked into the room and stood next to Mrs. Cassini. "Hello Mrs…?"

"Cassini," she answered.

"It's lovely to meet you, now I understand that this is likely very upsetting for you," he said, "but you have to know that it is best to tell the truth."

Mrs. Cassini frowned at him. "I'm not sure I understand you."

"You were lying before."

"I beg your pardon!"

"You should be begging your own," he replied, "You were having an affair with the victim."

"I was not!"

"Of course you were." He was gentle, not forceful with his words. "Your husband is always busy, wrapped up in his business that is all about sex and yet he can't see that you have your own needs. I bet you've dressed up in his own designs and waited for him in that lonely bed of yours and he never comes. So this Keith flirts with you one day and you just think 'Finally! Someone who actually sees me!' I bet you didn't intend for it to go so far, but he was so charming and he seemed to understand you so well."

"Mr. Jane!" Lisbon yelled and then grabbed his arm to pull her away from her witness, "This is a criminal _investigation_ and you are not an _investigator_. It is time that you went home."

She was dragging him out of her office but stopped when she suddenly heard a sob. Lisbon turned back and saw that Mrs. Cassini had buried her face into her hands and was crying. "Mrs. Cassini?" she asked.

The woman looked up with red eyes and wet cheeks. "Please, please don't tell my husband."

Lisbon gazed at the distraught woman for a moment and then looked back at Mr. Jane. The man had his amazing smile back on, looking like he was Oedipus and had just solved the Riddle of the Sphinx. She felt like slapping at him for two reasons. One: he was looking too cocky.

Two: the damned man had just given her a lead.

=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=

Pushing memories aside Lisbon continued until she and Ledford reached her old squad room where she was met with another feeling of déjà-vu. There was Grace sitting at her desk flipping through reports on the computer, Rigsby and Cho were talking over at his own desk and Jane was of course resting comfortably on his couch as usual. Lisbon felt like she should immediately head for her office to fill out more paperwork…except it wasn't her office anymore.

Rigsby waved at them from his desk, making Cho turn around see the new arrivals, "Have you found anything about Kristy Amberson?" Lisbon asked.

"Van Pelt has been running a background check," Cho told her, gesturing towards Grace.

Grace nodded slowly and Lisbon noticed that she looked a little green. "I haven't found much," she admitted, "From what I've found she was born in White Springs, her parents divorced when she was ten. Her father died in a car accident when she was sixteen and her mother died eight years ago from cancer."

She took a breath and Lisbon could see she was trying very hard to stay upright, "I tried contacting anyone in White Springs that might have known her but I haven't gotten anywhere. She left California when she turned eighteen and there's no evidence that she ever returned."

"Are you alright Van Pelt?" Lisbon asked concerned.

Grace nodded, "I'm fine I just…" before she could finish her thought she stood up quickly and bolted from the room with Lisbon and Ledford watching her with raised eyebrows.

Rigsby shrugged, "I think she had some bad seafood last night."

"Maybe," Jane finally spoke and there was a strange knowing smirk on his lips.

Rigsby left to go see to his wife, leaving the rest of the team to continue discussion on their lack of leads. "How far did she get contacting people in White Springs?" Ledford asked.

"There's still more people we haven't called," Cho explained, "but we haven't found anyone particularly close to her."

"Well we have to keep looking," Lisbon declared, "give us a list of names and we'll start calling people, maybe we'll get lucky."

"Have you tried cross referencing what you know about Kristy with Red John's other victims?" Jane asked from his couch, his eyes still closed.

All three investigators looked towards him, "No," Cho replied, "you think we should?"

Jane finally sat up but didn't walk over, "If Red John is using Kristy to say something, it's possible that he is referencing one of his other murders as well."

"Do you think this has anything to do with the drawing?" Ledford asked.

Jane cocked his head, "Possibly but I think that was a message specifically aimed at me, Kristy's murder is something else."

"What makes you think that?"

"Like I said, if he just wanted to send me a message than he would have killed someone in California, Kristy's murder was for another reason."

Lisbon raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, leaning back against Rigsby's desk, "So you are saying that Red John is trying to say two different things here. One is something to do with Kristy that we need to find and the other is a message to you through your daughter's drawing."

He smiled proudly, "Precisely."

She didn't look amused, "And have you figured out what that message might be?"

"I'm still working on it."

Lisbon rolled her eyes, "Well while you are working on that _we_ will be doing real police work."

Jane smirked again, "I won't get in the way."

"That'll be the day," she muttered and sat down in an empty chair ready to start making calls. Ledford sat down next to her and she noticed he seemed to be amused, "What?" she asked slightly annoyed.

"Nothing," he told her but his eyes told a different story, "Like I said…he's interesting."

For the first time in three years Lisbon seriously thought of physically hurting her partner.

* * *

Two hours of phone calls that delivered them no solid leads the teams finally found a hit…a small one anyways. "Got something," Rigsby declared from his desk as he hung up his phone, "Julia Waters said she went to school with Kristy, she mentioned that she remembered some weird things went down with Kristy's family."

"That doesn't sound like much," Ledford pointed out.

"It's more than what we had two minutes ago," Lisbon replied, "When it comes to Red John, we leave no stone unturned."

Cho nodded, "Rigsby you're with me, we'll go see what Ms. Waters knows." The two men grabbed their gear and their jackets in preparation of their trip.

Lisbon noticed Jane stand up from his couch, "You inviting yourself along again Jane?"

"Don't I always?"

She didn't reply to him mostly because she knew why he was going. She watched him leave with Cho and Rigsby with mixed feelings. When it came to Red John Jane would find a way to be involved in every facet of the case. He never wanted to miss anything, if only his motives weren't strictly for revenge.

Van Pelt remained at her desk until after they left but Lisbon could tell she was still feeling ill. "Van Pelt, Ledford and I can handle things here for a bit if you wanted to go and get something to help you feel better," Lisbon offered sweetly.

Grace looked at them hopefully, "Are you sure?"

"Don't worry," Ledford teased, "they train us on how to make phone calls at Quantico." He winked at her and Van Pelt couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks you guys," she told them genuinely and after grabbing a few things was gone in a flash, leaving the two FBI agents alone in the squad room.

Lisbon continued to go down the list of phone numbers crossing out all dead ends as they came to her. Eventually tired and a little frustrated Lisbon looked at her cell phone to check the time. Cassie's cherubic face greeted her on her phone wallpaper making her smile softly.

"How is Cassie doing?" Ledford asked eyeing the phone.

She looked up at him a little caught off guard before finally saying, "She's good; I talked to her this morning. She's excited about one of her friends' birthday party."

"I bet she misses you a lot."

"Yep," Lisbon sighed, "and her dance recital is coming up, she wants me to promise to be there…but I can't."

"She understands," Adam told her sympathetically.

Lisbon shook her head, "She shouldn't have to."

Ledford wisely kept silent for a moment, unsure how to bolster his partner's spirits. Curiosity finally got the better of him, "You're very close to your old team aren't you?"

She looked surprised by his comment, "Yeah I guess so, its not easy keeping in contact when you move across the country."

"But you were close before you left weren't you?"

"Yes."

"Close enough for them to invite you to their wedding?"

Exasperated Lisbon finally said, "Ledford stop dancing around the issue and just say what's on your mind."

He leaned forward and met her gaze, "Why haven't you told them about Cassie?"

Lisbon froze like a puddle in winter. Damn why did the man have to be so perceptive? No, Adam only had suspicions and theories; he couldn't know anything about her team or her past. He only knew what she'd told him which was nothing. Putting on a façade of casualness that she was anything but feeling she replied, "It just hasn't come up."

"You mean they haven't asked you out of the blue if you have a four year old daughter, why I'm shocked," he deadpanned sarcastically.

She sighed, "It's my own life, my own business. We are working a case and I don't want to be caught up in a million questions."

"Such as who is her father?"

Lisbon flinched but pressed on, "Exactly. Red John is smart and has always outmaneuvered us before, the last thing we need is a distraction. The last thing I want is my personal life to _be_ that distraction."

Ledford shrugged, "Fair enough but just to warn you, these things have a way of coming out whether we want them to or not."

"Well I'll cross that bridge when I get to it."

She dialed the next phone number on the list as a way of saying that the conversation was over. The phone rang five times before the answering machine picked up. Lisbon hung up the phone a little more forcibly than she needed to. Adam was still watching her intently, "I might already be on thin ice but there's one more thing."

"What?" Lisbon asked with an annoyed edge on her voice.

He smiled, "You and Jane seem to have a different relationship than you and the rest of the team."

The statement startled her, he was right of course but in so many different ways that he couldn't know about…that no one knew about. Finally she just scoffed, "No one can have a normal relationship with Jane."

"He trusts you."

Lisbon nodded, "Yeah…that's what he tells me."

"But you don't trust him."

She paused for a moment; it wasn't a question but a statement, a statement that was very close to the truth. Lisbon remembered a conversation she'd had with Jane once along the same lines. He'd been hurt when she'd told him the truth and it had surprised her. She remembered what he'd told her so earnestly; _I want you to know that you can trust me. No matter what happens, I will be there for you. I will. I need you to know that._ She had believed him that day; maybe that was why it hurt to remember that he'd lied.

_No matter what happens, I will be there for you_ he'd told her. _But you weren't_ she thought, _you weren't there when I needed you because I knew that wouldn't come._

Lisbon shook her head, "I trust that Jane will do everything he can to solve a case, I trust that he will devote his life to finding Red John…I trust that I can't trust him."

Ledford nodded, "Then why did you agree to work with him?"

She looked over across the squad room to see the glass windows of her old office. The office where she'd worked hard for eight years. The same office she'd thrown a chair through a window in on another crazy act with Jane. The same office she'd made a deal with devil. The devil with blonde hair and blue-green eyes.

One deal that sealed her fate.

=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=

_Ten Years Ago_

"Make sure you ask Colburn about his fiancée's affair with Underton," Lisbon instructed Rigsby and Cho as they left the squad room. She gathered up some of the files they had been going through and was prepared to bring them to the evidence locker. Her plans changed when she saw Patrick Jane coming towards her.

"Agent Lisbon," he said her name with a smile on his lips, "I received your message. I use the term lightly since you threatened to have me arrested if I didn't come down here."

"I still may do that," she replied and then opened the door to her office and gestured for him to enter.

Jane didn't take a seat like she expected. Instead he picked up a few of pictures and trinkets she had on her desk. When he selected a file about Underton, she quickly ripped it from his hands. "Take a seat, Mr. Jane."

He took up residence on her couch instead of in front of her desk like she had meant. "In the chair," she growled.

"But this is much more comfortable," he protested.

"Mr. Jane!"

He grinned but complied with her demands. "Your tone of voice is livid and barely under restraint."

"Can you guess why?" she asked him while scowling, "You broke into a crime scene!"

"I wouldn't say that," he replied, "The door was open."

"The door was _broken_," she corrected, "because someone kicked it open to kill the man inside."

"I know that," he said, "That is why I was there. I was trying to help you."

"I don't _need_ your help," Teresa hissed at him, "I should have you arrested for interfering with an investigation."

"How could I be interfering if I am trying to help you?" he asked, "Hollywood has tons of movies about civilians assisting law enforcement officers with their criminal investigations."

"You aren't Batman, Mr. Jane and this isn't Hollywood."

"Well we are in the same state as Hollywood," he pointed out.

Lisbon groaned and then rubbed her hands over her face. The man was trying to kill her. That was the only explanation for why he was so infuriating.

"Please, Agent Lisbon," he said, "Let me help you with this case."

"Why do you want to help me?"

"I find it interesting, and I don't have anything else to do."

"Watch TV," she suggested.

Jane smiled at her. "This is much more exciting."

"This isn't a game, Mr. Jane," she said.

"I've helped the police before when I was a psychic," he said.

"But you weren't a psychic," Lisbon reminded him, "I read your interview with the CBI, you admitted to being a fraud."

"Yes, I lied about having communication with the dead," he admitted, "but I did actually help the local police in several investigations."

He was smiling at her again, clearly waiting for her answer. God, the man was irritating. He somehow could guess every move and thought she seemed to have. "Alright, I'll bite," she said, "How did you help the police?"

"I can read minds."

Lisbon couldn't help but laugh at that. "You said you weren't psychic."

"There is nothing psychic about what I do," Jane told her, "I study people, observe their habits and their possessions. It only takes a keen mind to understand what a person is thinking."

"Yeah right," she scoffed.

"I can show you."

"How?"

"I'll read you," he said.

"Read me?" she questioned, "You want to read my mind?"

"In a manner of speaking," he said, "Do you agree?"

Lisbon thought about it for a moment, looking over his nice suit, absent of a tie, and the casual way he leaned back in the chair. The man didn't look like he could read minds. He might be a good guesser, but to actually read her like she was a book? Please.

"What are you going to do?" she asked, "pull out a crystal ball? Read the lines on my palm?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "None of those cheap tricks, just the simplest form of the art of observation."

"I don't know about this, Mr. Jane," she said, "I don't really have the time for games. I have to solve a murder investigation, preferably without your interruptions."

"How about this then: I'll tell you what I've observed about you and if I'm wrong I will gladly leave you to your investigation and never disturb you again."

"Sound's good."

He grinned as he continued, "But if I'm right, I stay and assist you on this case."

Lisbon shook her head at him. "I already told you, I don't have time for games."

"This will be quick, I promise."

Well if it got him off of her back for good then it was worth her time. Lisbon leaned back in her chair and nodded. "Alright, Mr. Jane, give it your best shot."

He smiled at his supposed victory. Lisbon waited for him to do something: shut his eyes, wave his arms around, ask her a bunch of bizarre questions. He did none of that. Instead his blue-green eyes just stared at her. He looked at her hair, her face, her clothes. He looked at each object on her desk, every item she had put on the shelf. He looked back at her again and she suddenly felt exposed, almost naked of her secrets. _This was a bad idea._

"You are from Chicago," he said at last, "You've been trying to shake that accent, but you still trail you're A's occasionally."

Lisbon blinked at his response. Did she really still do that? She hadn't been to Chicago in years. She had wanted to leave everything there including her accent.

"You have siblings, two…no three brothers. You are the oldest. You had a happy childhood until a great tragedy occurred. The loss of one of your parents…your mother," he said, "Then your childhood ended. You had to grow up."

This was taking an uncomfortable turn. She thought about stopping him, but she felt frozen as he just looked at her. Dear God, how did he know?"

"Your father took it hard. He became a drunk. Was he abusive?" he asked. She didn't reply but then he nodded. "He was. I'm sorry for that."

Lisbon shook her head at him, not because he was wrong but because she couldn't believe what he was doing. How could he do this?

"You had to become the mother figure in your family, caring for your brothers and trying to keep your father out of trouble. But he died, was it suicide?"

Jane's eyes widened at what she didn't say. "Oh my, he nearly killed you and your siblings as well? No wonder you haven't forgiven him."

She put her elbows on her desk and buried her face into her hands. She thought about covering her ears, but that wouldn't make what he said untrue.

"You were sent to a relatives home to live and that was better. You could be yourself again, but you never really let go of your parental tendencies. You still mothered your brothers, still tried to make them listen to you. One of them is still rebellious to this day.

"You came to California for college and took an interest in criminal justice because you wanted to help people. You wanted to protect them like you protected your brothers."

He didn't continue. That was the only way Lisbon knew he was done. She couldn't say anything for a while. She remembered her life just as how he spoke it. She remembered her final words to her mother before she left their home and never came back. She could still feel the pain of the many times her father had slapped her face when he was drunk. She could hear the sirens when the police came to take her father's body to the morgue. She could remember feeling of relief when she had stepped onto California soil for the first time.

She finally spoke in barely a whisper, "How?"

"The pictures on your desk," he said at first, "You have your brothers but none of your parents. That cross necklace you wear is old, likely it belonged to your mother. Everything else I could see in your eyes and your body language."

"How do you see this?" she asked, "How can you see those things?"

He tiled his head in thought for a moment and then shrugged. "I look for it."

Such a vague and simple answer, but perhaps that was also the only one. Lisbon gazed back at him, trying to see him the way he did her. He betrayed nothing, not even smug pride at having won their bargain.

"I suppose you can give us some assistance in this case," she said, "but just this once."

Patrick Jane smiled, not his cocky grin, but a genuine smile of gratitude. "Thank you, Agent Lisbon."

=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=

"Then why did you agree to work with him?"

Lisbon forced the memories from her mind and focused on answering the question, "I agreed to work with him because he has valuable tools that helped me catch a lot of killers," she told him diplomatically.

Ledford looked at her doubtfully, "There has to be more to it than that." Lisbon didn't reply but looked down at the desk in front of her, "but you aren't going to tell me," he finished.

"It's…complicated," she replied, "everything about Patrick Jane is complicated."

"It sounds like you have some unfinished business with him."

"No," she said quickly, "I don't, it's finished…everything with him is finished." Lisbon stood up, grabbing her coffee mug as an excuse to hurriedly leave the room. Realizing just how close Ledford had come…much too close.

* * *

Julia Waters had married an accountant and moved to a small town outside of Sacramento that was close enough for her husband to commute to the city. It was an hour drive from the CBI HQ, longer during rush hour. Eventually Cho and his companions made it to the suburb where their witness lived.

Unlike Lisbon, Cho didn't issue any ultimatums or demands at Jane before knocking on the door. Cho was wound tight but he also knew how to handle Jane's antics better: by ignoring him.

A pretty woman in her mid to late thirties answered the door, blonde hair with brown eyes. She didn't seem afraid when Cho held up his badge and said, "I'm Agent Cho from the CBI, this is Agent Rigsby and Partrick Jane. We're here to talk to Julia Waters about Kristy Amberson."

"Yes," she answered, "I'm Mrs. Waters but as I told Agent Rigsby on the phone, I haven't seen Kristy in years."

"We just want to ask a few questions is all," Cho told her calmly.

She let them into the house and led them to nice sitting room with tasteful furnishings that were nice enough to make Rigsby want to sit up straight. "I really don't know of what use I can be, Kristy and I weren't close. Is she in some sort of trouble?"

"Not exactly," Rigsby told her.

Julia looked confused, "Then what happened?"

That was always the awkward part of an interview, having to tell someone that the person they knew was dead. "Kristy was murdered three nights ago," Cho explained.

Julia gasped in horror, "Oh my God! Who would want to kill Kristy?"

"That is why we need you help," Cho continued, "we think her death may have some connection to some other cases and we want to know about her family."

She shook her head, "Oh I don't know…it's been so long."

"Julia," Jane stepped in, speaking soft and even, "It's alright, I know this is overwhelming but surely there is something that you remember. Something about Kristy that stands out. Something she said or did, something that immediately came to mind when you spoke to Agent Rigsby on the phone. It's the first thing you think of whenever you remember her and no matter how small or insignificant it may seem…we really need to hear it now Julia."

She blinked several times, her eyes transfixed by Jane as he lulled her into a sense of calm. Slowly Julia nodded her head, "Kristy was private; her family stayed away from everyone, no one really knew her. Her family was a mess, her mom was always out and her father was away a lot. When he died things just…got worse. Her aunt and her cousin came by and he…he was trouble.

"There were always whispers about him. That he was seen sneaking around at night, that he was out in the woods doing…things. A cat was found all cut up," Julia told them. She shuddered, "He always gave me the creeps."

"Do you know where he is?" Cho asked.

She shook her head, "No, he just left one day. His mother left town not long after he did and Kristy went off to college a year later, I lost track of them after that."

"Do you remember his name?"

Julia thought for a moment, "I think it was Fletcher…yes that's it, Jonathon Fletcher."

All three men stiffened at the name, "You're sure his name was _Jonathon_?" Rigsby asked.

"Yes," she told them, "Is something wrong?"

"No," Rigsby told her, "you have been very helpful."

Cho shook her hand and led his team out of the home. They walked back to their SUV in silence, each getting back into the car with the same thought repeating in their minds. Finally Rigsby spoke, "She was from California and had a cousin named Jonathon, moved to Nevada and was killed by a serial killer from California named Red John…that can't be a coincidence."

"Can't be," Cho agreed.

Jane didn't reply but he was staring out the window, a fixed gaze on nothing. He didn't say anything as Cho finally started the car and began the long drive back to the CBI HQ. But his mind was a whirlwind of speculation and theory with one question repeating.

_What game are you playing with me?_

* * *

Lisbon had taken the information about Jonathon Fletcher in stride, remarking that it wasn't much to go on. The phone calls continued though now questions were being asked about Kristy Amberson's cousin. There wasn't much progress being made on that front. It was the tedious work that took long hours and accomplished very little, something that the great Hollywood detectives always seemed to avoid doing on the big screens.

Jane reflected on that as he sipped his mug of tea in the break room. It was interesting having Lisbon back at the CBI, almost as if she had never left. He could see that she was feeling conflicted though, caught between reverting back to being the team leader and realizing that it wasn't her team to lead anymore.

It was amusing watching her try to find her place at the CBI now, almost as much fun as observing how nervous she was around him. Jane smiled at the memory of Lisbon's slip up at the hotel in Nevada. She was trying so hard to be calm around him that it was bringing out the opposite effect. Jane was tempted ruffle her feathers even further, maybe even make her blush again.

But that was a dangerous idea. He shook his head; it appeared Lisbon was affecting him as well. Better for both of them that this was only a temporary reunion.

He was coming to that conclusion when Ledford walked into the break room with an empty mug ready to be filled with coffee. Jane almost decided to leave, he was wary of Lisbon's new partner. There was nothing malicious or evil about him, but Ledford saw too much and Jane certainly didn't like that Ledford's favorite thing to observe at the moment was him.

Jane studied the FBI agent for a moment, noting the immaculate attire. His badge hung prominently from his pocket with the declaration of FBI Special Agent: Ledford, Adam J. The man clearly took pride in being a professional but he was not immune to human limits. His shirt was losing that crispness and he had rolled up his sleeves and unbuttoned his collar. The coffee was a necessity at this point to fend off the fatigue he was battling. Jane was curious about Ledford, curious about his partnership with Lisbon. They were always professional but there was an underlying familiarity between them. Did Ledford know what secret Lisbon was trying to hide? To answer that question Jane was more than willing to endure his presence.

Ledford replaced the coffee pot and turned to look at Jane, stirring the coffee in his mug, "I assume you've come to some conclusion about me."

Jane raised his eyebrows and smiled cryptically, "I don't understand what you are talking about."

"We are cut from the same cloth Mr. Jane," Ledford explained, "There is no need to pretend that you haven't been studying me to figure out my character."

Jane leaned back in his chair but didn't take his eyes off of the other man, "Perhaps you are more clever than I thought."

Ledford smiled, "I doubt that." He took a sip of coffee and placed it back down on the table, "You don't like me much do you."

Jane shrugged, "I don't know you well enough to form any kind of opinion about you."

"But you're not inclined to," Ledford continued, "It's alright really. I understand how you must feel; I'm too much like you for comfort. I see a lot more than most people, especially Cho's team." He sighed, "and I didn't exactly start off well with my profiling you at dinner…I'm sorry for that."

"Eh," Jane brushed off the offense, "It's not important." Ledford appeared mollified by Jane's genuine, albeit unusual, form of forgiveness. It seemed like the best time to ask impertinent questions, "I'm curious," he began, "how long have you been partners with Lisbon?"

Ledford looked amused by the question and not in the least bit surprised, "Lisbon told me you were nosy."

Jane grinned: yes she would say that. "I'm sure she's said worse about me."

Ledford looked embarrassed, "Actually…she hasn't said much about you…not until we got assigned to this case."

Jane wasn't surprised by that admission; Lisbon was a woman who kept her emotions inside by simply denying they existed. She wouldn't talk about him. She wouldn't allow herself that liberty.

What bothered him was that it hurt. He had hoped that maybe he would be wrong.

"I'm sure she didn't mean any offense," Ledford cut in quickly, making Jane wonder if he was slipping and allowing his own emotions to show. Or if Ledford was simply a better reader than he thought.

"She wouldn't speak about me," Jane said indifferently, "not if she could help it." That was the truth at least.

The agent appeared uncomfortable and eagerly changed the subject, "I was partnered with Lisbon three years ago, I was little more than a rookie and she had already made a mark on the Bureau in only two years. It was a real…privilege to be able to work with her."

Jane nodded, "It sounds like you two are close."

Ledford looked concerned and shook his head, "Hey we are friends but nothing more than that."

He smiled softly, "I knew there wasn't anything romantic between you two."

"Good," Ledford replied, "enough guys at the bureau spend their days ribbing me about my partner. I mean she's attractive but…she's too professional to let anything happen. I'd never want to get messed up in something like that, it would be too much of a headache."

"But you admit that you are friends with her," Jane cut in, "you've had a few dinners together, strictly as friends. Even gone to her home once or twice…"

Ledford leveled his gaze with Jane, "What are you really trying to ask me?"

Jane bored his eyes into his but kept his demeanor calm and deliberate, "She's keeping something to herself…and I think you know what it is."

Ledford smiled and nodded, "But you know I'm not going to tell you."

"Yes," Jane replied, "But now you know I'm looking for it."

He took a sip of his coffee with a sly look, "That's your mission, not mine."

"I will find out eventually."

Ledford just smiled again, "I do not doubt that." He looked down at his mug of coffee and idly stirred it once more. He finally looked back up at Jane with a determined expression, "You know Lisbon pretty well yourself."

He shrugged, "We worked together for eight years, I might have picked up a few things along the way."

Ledford ignored the sarcasm but kept his serious gaze, "How'd you manage to trick your way onto Lisbon's team?"

Jane raised an eyebrow, "Apparently I'm not the only one who's a bit nosy."

A small smiled curved Ledford's lips, " Call it quid pro quo."

Jane was up to the challenge, "I offered my services to the CBI, and since I'd already assisted Agent Lisbon on one of her cases it was simply logical that I work with her again."

He knew Ledford wasn't going to accept that answer, "That might be true but that isn't all of it…I have to wonder if you only chose her team because of Red John…or was it something else."' He looked thoughtfully at Jane, "You are man so consumed with self loathing and hatred. So fixed on what you lost and destroying the monster who took it all away. But when you are with her…she gives you something else to think of, something else to focus on. She makes you feel alive doesn't she?"

Jane kept a small smile on his lips as a shield, he was not about to let this man see into him again, "You see a lot…but even a master is wrong some of the time. If I cared about her as much as you say…why would I have let her go?"

Ledford studied Jane for a moment, "Maybe that's _my_ mission to figure out." He stood up from the table with his coffee mug in hand but turned to look back at Jane from the doorway, "She didn't take it well when she found out you were going to be on her team did she?"

Jane simply grinned which was answer enough.

=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=

_10 Years Ago_

The Underton case was officially closed and tradition dictated that Lisbon's team would celebrate with either pizza or doughnuts. Since it was Teresa's turn to pay, she opted for doughnuts from Marie's, ordering a dozen of assorted variety. Cho and Rigsby each gladly took their share.

"Where's Jane?" Rigsby asked after taking a mouthful of fried dough, icing and sprinkles.

"Close your mouth," she chastised him, "And Jane is at home, where he belongs."

"He helped solve the case," Cho said, "He should be allowed to celebrate."

"He tricked his way into helping us," Lisbon corrected him, "If he had wanted to celebrate then he should have stuck around longer."

Once they had gotten a confession, the former psychic had promptly vanished from the CBI. Apparently once he knew the killer he had lost interest in crime solving, hadn't even had the decency to say or goodbye or thank you.

"He was pretty good at reading people," Rigsby said, "We should bring him by again."

"Yeah we'll do that," she said dryly, "when the Capitol Building becomes a strip club."

"Isn't it already?" Rigsby said with a grin that earned him a light cuff on the side of his head as she walked past him.

Lisbon took the box to her office and left it on her desk. She took a doughnut out but only stared at it for several moments before placing it on a napkin. Teresa let out a sigh and shook her head. Well, her conscience wasn't going to let this one go so she might as well try.

She took her cell phone and the slip of paper Jane had given her before and dialed the number. The line rang three times and then an automated voice told her to leave a message. "Hi, it's Agent Lisbon," she said once the beep sounded, "Um, I wanted to thank you for…helping us. Yes, that was hard to admit and I would appreciate it if you didn't gloat so much." Yeah, like he wouldn't do that.

"Listen, um, we have a tradition for when we close a case that we celebrate. This time we're having doughnuts and since you did play a part with this investigation, I thought it only fair that I invite you to come celebrate…if you want to."

Lisbon felt ridiculous saying this to a voicemail box. It was likely Jane wouldn't even come, probably didn't even care. "Anyways, good luck and…bye."

She snapped her phone shut with a sigh and then shoved the doughnut away. Why did it bother her that he had just left? The man hadn't listened to her at all, irritated her with every word that came out of his mouth and then tried to hypnotize one of the witnesses. He'd been a truckload of trouble…okay he'd also been kind of fun.

"Screw Patrick Jane," she said out loud and then picked up her doughnut and took a bite. She wasn't going to let that pompous ass ruin her case closed doughnuts.

Her office phone let out a sudden chirp, making her jump in surprise. Lisbon put down her doughnut and picked up the phone. "Agent Lisbon, CBI."

"Lisbon," Manelli said, "I need to see you in my office."

"Now sir?"

"Preferably."

"Alright, I'm on my way." She hung up the phone, brushed fallen sprinkles off of her blouse and then left her office. When she reached Manelli's door she had a sudden moment of déjà vu. Patrick Jane was sitting in the chair across from Manelli, just like she'd seen him before when he had stepped into her case.

"Mr. Jane…what are you doing here?"

"Patrick was just telling me about how he enjoyed offering his insights into the Underton case," Manelli said.

"Was he?"

"I have decided to offer my services as a consultant to the CBI," Jane said, still grinning like some cartoon cat that swallowed the pet canary and then replaced the bird with a pale imitation.

"You can do that?" Lisbon asked and then looked at Manelli, "He can do that?"

"He got the permission of the Director," Manelli explained, "Don't know how he charmed him, but it worked. I wanted to ask you about his recent involvement with your case."

"Oh, that." Where to begin? He didn't follow orders, thought rules were meant to be ignored and that inappropriate questions were the best way to start interviews.

But he also could see things she couldn't. He knew when a person was lying just by how they played with their hair or misspoke a word. Jane could somehow just stare at a person for a few seconds and he knew every secret they had. Despite his bizarre methods, Jane could give them valuable assistance with cases.

"Mr. Jane proved to be very helpful in the case," Lisbon admitted, "I think that he might need some firm guidelines, but his insight is undeniably valuable. He would be a good asset to the CBI."

"Excellent," Manelli said, "He can be on your team."

Lisbon gaped at her boss. She could not have heard him right. "What?"

"You're my best team so you deserve the best help, Lisbon."

"Thank you, sir, but my team isn't in need of help. Perhaps Mr. Jane would be better suited with another team."

"Nope, I want him with you, Lisbon," Manelli said.

"But—."

"I've made my decision."

Teresa looked over at Jane, picturing the ground opening up under his chair and swallowing him whole. If only she had a genie who would grant her one, perfect wish. "Yes, sir."

She stood up from her chair. "Thank you, sir."

Her intention was to leave alone but she should have known that Patrick Jane wouldn't let her do that. "You did this on purpose," she hissed once they were out of Manelli's office.

"Now how would I manage to do that?" he asked.

"I don't know, but you did it!"

Jane made her stop so he could look her in the eye. "I assure, Agent Lisbon, I am not all powerful."

"Shut up," she said, "You wanted to be on my team because I have the Red John case."

"Well, yes," he admitted, sticking his hands into the pockets of his coat as if she had simply said that it would be raining tomorrow, "but I also thought that we worked well together."

"Worked well…you didn't listen to me at all! You tried to hypnotize a witness!"

"But we did catch the killer," he reminded her, "and you had fun."

Lisbon glared at him and shook her head. "I did not."

"Did too," he said, his voice was teasing.

"Did not!"

"Did too."

"Stop that!" Jane laughed which made her groan in frustration. He was going to kill her, she was sure of it.

"In all seriousness, Lisbon," he said, "I can help you. I _want_ to help you."

Son of a bitch, did he have to look so sincere? But he was right, he could help her. She was good at her job and she had a good team and she likely could have solved Underton's murder on her own…but Jane had made it go by much faster.

"Your desk is in the squad room," she said, "Don't expect a warmer welcome from me."

"Thank you, Lisbon, you won't regret it," he said.

"Too late," she told him.

Lisbon headed towards her office to finish off her doughnut. She deserved the treat now that she would have to deal with Jane on a daily basis.

"Your voicemail said something about celebratory doughnuts," Jane said in a hopeful tone. She answered by slamming the door to her office shut.

* * *

Going through paper trails was always boring work so Lisbon was silently grateful when her cell phone rang. The caller I.D. told her that it was from her home. "I've got to take this," she told her colleagues before she left the squad room.

"Hello," she said once she was in the hallway.

"Miss Terésa," Marisol said in a frenzied voice.

"Marisol, is everything okay?" she asked and then the panic hit, "Oh my God, is Cassie—?"

"Cassandra is fine, I am sorry to worry you," she replied, "It is _me madre_. She had a stroke."

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry Marisol," Lisbon said.

"Yes, I have to go to Texas to help her."

Lisbon froze at her words. "You have to go to Texas."

"_Sí, _I must go as soon as possible."

"But I need you to take care of Cassie, I'm in the middle of a case."

"I know it is bad," Marisol said apologetically, "But I have no choice. I have to go."

Lisbon started to pace, like she always did when she had a lot on her mind. Cassie couldn't stay in D.C. alone and there wasn't time to find temporary nanny. James was out of town and she couldn't ask his wife Nancy to care of three kids alone. Tommy was in Mexico, likely surfing and drinking. Will and Emma had only been married for five months and both of them had jobs so they couldn't do it either.

She had only one option.

Lisbon let out a long sigh. "Use the card I gave you to get a ticket for Cassie to Sacremento," she said, "Tell the airlines she's underage and they'll make the arrangements to have the flight attendants keep an eye on her. Call me when you have the details and I'll make sure to pick her up at the airport here."

"Okay, and again I am so sorry Miss Terésa."

"Don't worry about it, Marisol, I just hope your mother is okay."

"I'll call the airport _immediamente_," Marisol said.

"Good, take care, Marisol," Lisbon said.

"Good-bye, Miss Terésa."

Lisbon hung up her phone and then pressed it to her forehead. This could not be happening. Granted, the idea of having Cassie with her wasn't unappealing, but now…they had to know. "I'm screwed," she said to the empty air.

She walked back into the squad room where everyone—minus Jane—was still working. Jane was trying to take a nap on his couch in the corner. "Okay, guys, I've got some news."

Everyone looked up from what they were doing while Jane opened one eye. "Was that the Griffins?" Ledford asked.

"No, this is a, uh, personal thing," she said. Lisbon took in a breath before saying, "I…I have a daughter."

The silence that followed her announcement was not unexpected.

"The reason why I'm telling you all of this is because my nanny's mother is sick and she needs to take care of her. So I have to bring my daughter here."

"Lisbon," Rigsby said, "I think I'll speak for everyone here and say: you have a kid?"

"Yeah," she replied, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys before I just…just wanted to focus on the case. I promise I won't let this distract me."

"Lisbon, I think that's the last thing on their minds," Ledford pointed out to her.

She let out a chuckle of nervous laughter. "Right." Lisbon stuck her hands into her pocked and nodded. "Um, anything you want to know?"

"What's her name?" Van Pelt asked.

"Cassandra."

"Hmm, that's an interesting name," Jane mused from his couch, "What made you pick that one?"

Lisbon could hardly believe that was all he wanted to know. "I just picked it out of a book."

"How old is she?" Cho asked a more appropriate question.

"She'll be five in three months."

"When will she get here?" Rigsby asked.

"Tomorrow," Lisbon replied, "My nanny is going to tell me what time once she has everything scheduled."

"Well I think this is great," Jane spoke up.

"You do?" Lisbon asked him, frowning in confusion.

"It's wonderful that she gets to come here and be with her mother," he explained, "I'm sure you both hate being apart."

"Yes, we do," she admitted.

An uncomfortable silence filled the room until Rigsby said, "Well we can't wait to meet her."

"Good," she said with a smile, "I need to tell all of this to Dalton and make the arrangements with daycare here. It won't take long."

"We'll keep looking for leads on Jonathon Fletcher," Cho told her in his usual empty voice. She was grateful that he was acting so cool about all of this.

"Okay," she replied. Once she left the room, Lisbon gave herself a moment to break her composure. She rubbed her hands down her face and let out a long sigh.

The secret was out. Now she would have to see how long it would take for everything else to unravel.

* * *

A/N: Uh oh! Lisbon's daughter is coming to the west coast! That can cause quite a mess can't it? Well next chapter you'll see some more flashbacks that could answer a few questions...but not all of them.

Please send us reviews, they are better than chocolate!


	4. In Curve and Voice and Eye

Disclaimer: We own nothing

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: *peeks out of hiding* OMG I'm soooo sorry this took so long but in my defense school has been CRAZY! The good news is that I'm done with exams until next semester, the bad news is that in a little over a week I'll be check out of the United States for six weeks for field school in Peru. Since I'll be up in the mountains in a tiny village, I'm not going to be able to update. Hopefully I'll crank out one more update before I leave but it might not be until July that you hear from me again. But this is a great chapter because the team FINALLY meets Cassie, some more questions are answered BUT don't assume anything. ;-)

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: Yeah, with my sister gone we won't be able to post for a while. She's important to this story because she knows case work and forensics. I do mostly the personal stuff. I do hope you all like this chapter. We have a lot of good stuff coming up, stuff that involves with why Lisbon left. Sit back, relax and enjoy the show.

Note: This chapter title comes from Thomas Hardy's poem "Heredity".

* * *

Chapter 4: In Curve and Voice and Eye

Rigsby walked back into the squad room with a cup of coffee in one hand and his wife's requested tea in the other. Cho was flipping through one of the files at Rigsby's desk while Jane amused himself with a deck of cards. He noticed that someone from the group was missing, "Where's Ledford?" he asked as he set the tea down in front of Grace.

"He's scanning the case file for his boss," Cho explained without even looking up at them, "He said Lisbon should be here around nine though."

There was no reason to say where Lisbon would be back from. It had been the elephant in the room since yesterday when she'd told them that her daughter was coming. There was an awkward pall that had hung in the room since then. Grace looked up from her tea with a determined face, "I still can't believe she didn't tell us that she had a daughter."

Rigsby turned to his wife calmly, "I thought you were over this last night." Despite the fact that the team had managed to finish the evening before without speaking about the bombshell Lisbon had dropped on them yesterday, Grace hadn't been able to stop herself from venting her true feelings out to her husband in private.

"It's wrong," she stated firmly, "Lisbon should have told us about her daughter."

"Technically she did," Jane replied, his voice light with amusement.

Grace glared at him, "That's not what I meant." She looked around at her teammates in bewilderment, "Am I the only one upset by this?"

"Yes," Cho stated simply.

"She worked with us for years," Grace reminded them, "She is supposed to tell us stuff like this. I mean…we were a family, you don't keep secrets like that from family."

Jane chuckled, "That's a naïve thought."

"It's true," She insisted.

"No it isn't," Jane explained with his eyes fixed on hers, "Nobody lies more than family. They say they are fine when they aren't, the absent husband says he misses them when he doesn't, the depressed housewife puts a smile on her face when really all she wants to do is scream. You work in law enforcement, you've seen those families…lies, all little lies to pretend that everything is perfect when it isn't."

Grace shook her head; "It's not always like that."

Jane smiled cryptically, "Come on…even you have a secret, something you don't want to tell anybody, not even your _family_." She held his gaze but her determined face was wavering, she had lost this battle of wits. What Grace didn't know was why. Why was Jane so calm?

"Why don't you care Jane?" she asked, trying her best to turn the battle away from her, "Doesn't it matter to you at all?"

It was only a hesitation for a fraction of a second; Van Pelt didn't even notice it. Instead Jane simply smiled again. "Lisbon chose to keep her life private, I'm certain she had a reason."

It was an awkward silence that followed with Grace unsure over how to respond and Cho and Rigsby trying their best to look like they weren't listening to the argument. Jane simply went back to shuffling the cards in his hands, almost as if the conversation hadn't happened at all.

Ledford walked into the squad room, his cell phone in his hand. He opened his mouth to speak but hesitated as soon as he felt the tension in the room. Adam held up the phone, "Lisbon just called, Cassie's plane has landed, she should be here soon."

"Wonderful," Jane replied, "I know we all can't wait to meet her."

Nobody else said anything, leaving Adam at a loss for words though he had a feeling that he knew what was silencing Cho's team. "I'm going to…get some coffee," he finally said before leaving them alone once more.

Cho silently went to his office while Rigsby began to shuffle through the paperwork on his desk. Grace just watched as Jane continued to the shuffle the cards as if he didn't have a care in the world.

* * *

Lisbon checked her watch for the umpteenth time and saw that the secondhand had moved from the two to the five since the last time she had looked. The plane had landed but no one was off just yet. How long did it take for them to turn off the "fasten seatbelt" sign and let the people leave?

A flight attendant stepped out of the gate and stood at the entrance, a sign that finally the passengers were being released. The first one out was a gentleman in an expensive Italian suit carrying a briefcase. Lisbon let the Donald Trump wannabe pass her by.

Another flight attendant arrived and she had Cassie's Disney Princess duffel-bag on her shoulder. Cassie was holding onto the attendant's hand, but when she saw her mother she cried out, "Mommy!" and let go.

"Hey sweetie," Lisbon said as her daughter ran into her arms. Despite all of the trouble it was bound to cause, she couldn't help but be happy to have her baby back. It was getting harder and harder to leave her behind.

"Mommy, they let me see the pilot," Cassie said, "And they gave me a little badge." She pointed to the set of gold wings pinned to her shirt. "Lindsey says that I'm an honorary flight attendant."

Lindsey, the flight attendant, smiled and said, "She was a little angel the entire trip."

"Thank you for watching out for her," Lisbon said.

"It was no trouble at all." She handed Lisbon the duffle-bag before grinning at Cassie. "Well it was nice meeting you, Cassie, I hope you have fun here in California."

"Bye bye, Lindsey," Cassie said and waved the flight attendant goodbye as she returned to the plane.

"Ready to go?" Lisbon asked her.

"Yes, mommy," she replied and fairly bounced with excitement.

Lisbon brought her daughter to the rented Sedan and then found her old route back to the CBI. She could still remember the streets, the familiar landmarks that helped to guide her to her destination. In fact, she had to be careful or she would wind up driving to her old apartment with the desire to relax after a crazy day filled with Jane's antics.

"Now you know I won't be able to spend all day with you," Lisbon said, looking at Cassie through the rearview mirror, "I'll be working, but you'll be in daycare with other kids and I'll stop by to see you as often as I can."

"Will you have lunch with me?"

"Of course," Lisbon said, grateful that this was a promise that wouldn't be difficult to keep.

"Mommy, why are you so worried?"

The question was a surprise to Lisbon. "I'm not worried."

"Yes you are," Cassie insisted, "Whenever you tap your fingers on the driving wheel it's because you're worried."

Lisbon looked down and saw that her fingers were drumming across the steering wheel as she waited for the traffic light to switch from red to green. Apparently her observant little monkey had noticed one of her nervous habits.

"I'm just thinking about the case, sweetheart," she explained.

"Don't worry, mommy, you'll catch the bad guy," Cassie assured her with one of her angelic smiles.

Lisbon's heart was pounding against her ribs when she pulled up to the CBI parking lot and showed the attendant her pass. She helped Cassie out of the car and led her into the building. Many people stopped to stare at her as she walked past, but Cassie was excited by the experience. Seeing her daughter's smile helped to calm some of her nerves.

She stopped just outside the squad room. This was it. No turning back at all now.

"Mommy, it will be okay," Cassie said and squeezed her hand a little with her small fingers.

Well she couldn't let a four year old beat her with courage. Lisbon took in a breath and then put on her best smile. Everyone was at their desks, except Jane who was on his couch. Ledford stood up when they entered and Cassie saw him first. "Adam!" she shouted before abandoning her mother to run to her partner.

Adam scooped her up into a giant bear hug. "Munchkin, I missed you."

"I get to help you, Adam," she said, "I get to help you and Mommy catch the bad guys."

Ledford chuckled and let her go. Teresa took Cassie's hand again and pulled her away. "Let's introduce you to everyone before we get you your own badge, honey."

She led Cassie away from Adam a bit so they were more in the center of the room. "Everyone, this is Cassie."

Grace and Rigsby openly smiled at the girl while even Cho's normally stoic expression warmed just a bit. Jane seemed to only show a mild interest in their visitor. His face was friendly, but more as if he were being polite and not actually caring how he was seen.

"Cassie, this is Cho," she said, choosing to ignore Jane for the moment. Cho held out his hand for Cassie to shake with small one.

"Hey," he said.

"Hi," Cassie said in a chipper tone.

Lisbon gestured over to Risgby. "This is Rigsby."

"Hey, Cassie," he said, bending down so he was at her eye level, "It's nice to meet you."

"Hi, Rigsby," she said, "Mommy said that you could eat a horse, is that true?"

Everyone laughed at her frank question. Lisbon shrugged at him. "Kids, they'll say anything."

"Sometimes I think he could," Van Pelt admitted, "At least he'd eat his weight in junk food." She left her chair and gave Cassie a little hug. "Hi, I'm Van Pelt but you can call me Grace."

"Oh," Cassie said with a gasp, "Mommy was going to go to your wedding."

"Yes," Lisbon said, touching her daughter's head, "But I couldn't make it." She looked over at the couple in question. "As you can see, she remembers everything."

The sound of someone clearing their throat told Lisbon that she couldn't hold off any longer. She took Cassie's hand again and brought her to the brown leather couch. Jane was smiling at them both. She wondered when _it_ would happen, perhaps he was seeing it now.

"Cassie, this is Patrick Jane," she said.

Cassie help on even tighter to her mother's hand before saying in a soft voice, "Hello, Mr. Jane."

"Hello, Cassie," he said warmly, "There's no need to be shy, no ghouls or monsters lurking around here. Undoubtedly your mother scared them all away before you arrived."

Cassie smiled at him but didn't reply. "I can see that you are excited to be here," Jane said, "You don't like to be away from your mother."

She shook her head in response. Jane looked up at Lisbon and said, "She's a lot like you, Lisbon, you should be proud."

"I am," Lisbon said automatically. She kept waiting for him to say something, to pull her out of the room. Jane did neither.

"I guess we should check you into daycare so I can get back to work," Lisbon said to Cassie but she was looking at Jane. He had to know. Jane was Jane, he could see things even when he was blind.

Jane lay back down on his couch, apparently his interest completely spent. Lisbon frowned at his reaction, but didn't question him. What was the point? Wasn't this what she wanted?

"I'll be back in a few minutes," she said to her team as she and Cassie left the squad room. Maybe this was a sign that nothing would change.

Somehow, Lisbon doubted that.

* * *

"Well it took three years," Grace explained as she set a large file onto the desk in front of where Lisbon and Cho were sitting, "but we've finally got Jonathon Fletcher's rap sheet."

Lisbon opened the file and flipped through it, "It's pretty thick," she commented, "He's done time for everything from DUI to assault on an officer."

Rigsby peaked at the file over her shoulder, "He sounds like a pretty rough guy."

She nodded but kept flipping through the file, "All of this is at least two years old, but it does have his last known address, his employer," then something else caught her eye, "And the address of someone who paid his bail, Robert Miller."

"Sounds like we have a few leads to follow up on," Ledford said with a pleased smile.

Lisbon looked at the three addresses and noted that Fletcher's last known address was closest. She internally debated what was best, the address was two years old and probably would lead to nowhere, but she wanted to be nearby in case something came up with Cassie. In the end maternal instincts always won out, "I'll look into his last known address, if he isn't living there anymore maybe one of his neighbors remembers something."

Cho nodded, "Rigsby, you and Van Pelt talk to his employer, I'll see if Robert Miller knows anything."

Ledford stepped forward, "If you don't mind Agent Cho, I'd like to tag along with you." Cho simply nodded and the team broke apart, each grabbing their gear as they headed for their respective vehicles.

Lisbon didn't have to ask, didn't have to turn around to know that Jane was following her. He'd invited himself along with her again…she was actually afraid to know why. She didn't say anything, but simply raised an eyebrow at him as he opened the passenger door of the vehicle. Jane smiled, "Did you think I would stay behind?"

"Hoped is more like it," she told him and started the car.

=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=

To Lisbon's complete surprise Jane didn't say anything to her on the drive over to Jonathon Fletcher's address. She had assumed, expected really, that he would at least take the time to annoy her like he used to do. She had also been afraid he might start asking the questions she didn't want to answer.

But he hadn't done any of that; no he just sat in silence as if he didn't have a care in the world. Lisbon chose to just be grateful for the moment and not tempt fate any further.

She pulled the car to a stop in front of an old apartment building; it was a little worse for wear but serviceable. It reminded her of her first apartment, which only had an air conditioner that worked on good days and terrible parking, but it had been cheap and her first taste of real independence.

A middle-aged man with the beginnings of a beer gut and a scruffy beard was sweeping the hallway in the front entrance. He looked up as soon as he heard them approaching, "What do you want?"

Automatically Lisbon flashed her ID a movement she knew almost as well as breathing, "I'm Agent Lisbon with the FBI, and this is Patrick Jane a consultant with the CBI."

The man tensed immediately, "What are you here for?"

"We're trying to find someone, a man named Jonathon Fletcher."

He frowned and looked at her angrily, "He's not around here anymore."

Lisbon wasn't all that surprised by that bit of news, information that was two years old was bound to lead to nowhere. But she sensed there was more that this guy could share with them.

"Is this your building?" Jane asked eyeing they surroundings while Lisbon glared at him. She didn't have a clue as to what he was up to.

"Yeah." The man said warily.

Jane nodded, "It's nice."

Lisbon ignored Jane's flattering lies to try and get the conversation back on topic, "Do you have any idea where Jonathon Fletcher might be."

"Nope." This was getting frustrating; it was like pulling teeth getting answers from this guy.

"Excuse me," Jane cut in again, "but you are the landlord here right?"

"Yeah."

"You know your tenants, at least a little bit, you go into their apartments to fix things, see the trash they throw away, the little details of their lives that no one else notices. So you better than anyone can tell us what kind of man your former tenant Jonathon Fletcher was. What kind of man was he?"

He seemed to be mesmerized by Jane's words, he couldn't take his eyes off him, "Strange, he was a strange man." Lisbon had to hand it to Jane; he knew how to get honest answers when they needed it.

"Strange, how so?"

"Always sneaking around at night, I saw him spying on some of the other tenants, he always paid his rent on time so I didn't make an issue of it." The landlord shook his head, "He had some scary looking friends. I caught them fighting outside once…he pulled a knife on the guy. I called the cops but they were gone before they could get here." He simply shrugged, "then one day he just up and left, didn't say a word to anybody."

"And he didn't leave anything behind, no forwarding address or something like that?" Lisbon asked.

He shook his head, "No, like I said he just…disappeared. I can't say I was sorry to see him go."

Jane smiled, "Thank you, you've told us exactly what we need to know."

Lisbon was stunned as she watched him walk back towards the car just as the landlord, clearly relieved, went back inside. She followed the thorn in her side, "What the hell was that?"

Jane shrugged. "There was nothing more that he could tell us."

"I'll be the judge of that."

"He doesn't know where Jonathon Fletcher is," Jane reminded her, "and he can't tell you where to look."

"Then why are you looking so smug?" She asked yanking the car door open angrily.

"Because he told us something important…he told us that Fletcher's weapon of choice is a knife."

Lisbon knew where this was going and she had to admit she liked this idea, liked the possibility that maybe they were actually getting close. But the skeptical side of her had to point out, "A lot of people use knives," she told him, "It could be a coincidence."

"Perhaps."

She sighed, started the car and smoothly pulled out of the lot before telling him gently, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves Jane, there is still too much we don't know. We don't want to make mistakes this time."

Instead of making a witty remark or a protest Jane looked at her with a strange expression on his face, she wasn't sure what it was but he smiled wistfully, "You've changed Lisbon."

She was surprised by that comment but took it in stride, "Are you trying to say that it's a good thing or a bad thing?"

"Oh I meant no offense," he told her, "you're much softer now." Jane looked away from her, "I suppose I can attribute that to Cassie."

Lisbon felt her stomach twist into a knot, what was he trying to get at? "Maybe it was just being away from you," she replied.

"I'm that much of a problem for you?"

She rolled her eyes, "Well I haven't had to face complaints filed on my records, bizarre role playing or hypnosis to get confessions, what do you think?"

He smiled, "It sounds boring to me."

Lisbon couldn't help it. Jane had said that so sincerely, she couldn't help but smile at his response. Damn him for noticing it.

"You see, you have missed me."

She shook her head, "I never said that."

It wasn't a lie, nor was it really the truth. Lisbon wasn't sure if she had missed Jane or not. She had certainly felt a loss of his presence; he'd always found a way to make the job more…_interesting_. But it had also been much easier to stay away.

"I missed you," Jane told her and she didn't doubt the honesty in his voice. It was the soft way he said it, almost pensive and sad. She actually felt her heartbeat just a little bit faster at his words.

No.

She wasn't going to go down that road again, not now, not after everything. He wasn't going to say something like that and pretend that it will make it all better.

"No," Lisbon told him firmly, "No we are not going to do this again."

Jane looked a bit surprised at her words, "Do what again?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

He shook his head, "I just said I missed you, it didn't mean anything else."

"Of course it did!"

Jane looked amazed at her reaction; "If Rigsby had said the same thing you wouldn't have said anything about it."

"Because that's different," Lisbon reminded him, "You and I…we…" Jane watched her, his eyes alight with amusement. She took a deep breath, "It's in the past, what happened between us is in the past…it should stay that way."

"Fair enough," Jane replied and leaned back down in the seat, turning to look out the window once more, "but I did miss you."

Teresa was glad he wasn't looking at her; she didn't want him to see the pain in her eyes. Why did he still get to her?

Because she still cared.

* * *

_Five Years Ago_

Lisbon loved her job; she just hated how her job could get to her sometimes. Usually after a case she would go home, maybe take a relaxing bath or read a book, anything that would get her mind off her job. But on those hard cases where she just couldn't let go, those were the nights where she lay awake completely restless.

The latest case fell into the latter category, maybe in the top five in the list of cases that made her question her own sanity.

So she prepared herself for a long night of pacing, questioning herself and doubting her actions. She didn't expect a friendly knock on her apartment door. She certainly never dreamed that Jane would be there with a bottle of tequila in hand.

"Jane what the hell are you doing here?"

He was unfazed by her outburst, "Good evening Lisbon. Why yes I'd love to come in."

She thought seriously about closing the door on him but she had a feeling he would keep knocking until she gave in. Lisbon stepped to the side, allowing him entrance, all the while glaring at him. "I'll repeat the question, what the hell are you doing here?"

He smiled that devilish smile that let Lisbon know she was in a world of trouble. She hated that smile; it made her want to agree to do anything. "I've come to help you Lisbon."

Oh yes she was in trouble. "Help me? With what?"

"I could see this case was getting to you. I know you identified with Kelly Martin," Jane shrugged, "It's understandable. She was just trying to protect her brother and sister from their drunk father, similar to your own childhood."

Lisbon pretended to scoff, "I didn't shoot and kill my father."

"No," Jane said, he looked her deep in her eyes, "but you thought about it."

"Stop reading my mind," she told him and looked anywhere but at him.

"I wasn't reading your mind I was reading your face," Jane explained, "the way you looked at Kelly as Rigsby arrested her, the way you looked at her siblings. It's hard to stay objective and enforce the rules sometimes isn't it?"

"Some cases are harder than others," Lisbon admitted, "but I've dealt with it before, I didn't need your help then so why does this have to be different now?"

"Because now I'm offering."

She smiled doubtfully and gestured to the bottle he was carrying, "Tequila. You think that tequila is going to help me?"

"I'm just trying to help you relax," he told her with a grin. He opened the bottle and pulled a couple of shot glasses out of the plastic bag before filling both of them up liberally with the drink. He held one out to her but she didn't take it, "Come on," Jane smiled, "What's it going to hurt?" She still didn't accept it, "Alright if you promise to drink this then I promise to not do anything impulsive on our next case."

Lisbon had a feeling that he was lying but she wasn't going to waste this opportunity on the off chance that he was serious. She accepted the shot but hesitated for a moment. _What's the worst that could happen _she thought.

She downed the shot.

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO_

Lisbon might not have liked to admit it but she didn't hold her liquor all that well. She had never been much of a drinker, being the daughter of an abusive alcoholic had more or less turned her off from drinking more than beer. Drinking one shot of tequila had made her feel significantly calmer already.

Five shots later and she had no troubles at all, and if she did she certainly couldn't remember them.

In her drunken revelry she had decided it would be a good idea to put on her old Spice Girls CD, it had been an even better idea to get up and dance to it. Jane openly laughed at her very poor display of dancing with the tune of _If You Wanna Be My Lover_. The thought never occurred to her that she might be embarrassed that Jane was watching.

Jane had had a few shots as well, he simply was much more adept at holding his liquor. He wasn't unaffected by the alcohol however, he'd discarded his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He was much more at ease than usual, idly watching her dance, quite proud at what he had been able to accomplish.

"Why do you like this group?" He asked still enjoying the performance in front of him.

Lisbon giggled like a schoolgirl, "They came out when I was in high school. I used to sneak away to my room, put my headphones on and escape," she declared, "I even dreamed about becoming a singer once."

Jane raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Why didn't you?"

She laughed a little too loudly, "I can't sing! I can't even carry a tune!"

He chuckled and nodded his head. He stood up from the table to get a better view of her impromptu production. Jane liked seeing this side of Lisbon, she was freer and softer, someone you could touch. "What have you always wanted to do?"

Lisbon turned to him and giggled again, "I don't know. I've never thought about it."

"Yes you have," he said simply, "Tell me what it is. It doesn't matter how stupid you think it is."

She spun around in a circle and giggled, "Umm I've always wanted to fly in a hot air balloon."

Jane could see that, but he still wanted to hear it, "Why?"

Lisbon flung her arms up over her head in a dramatic gesture, "Because I would be up high and away from everything and everyone. It would be quiet and safe…no one would see me."

He could imagine her as a little girl wishing the same thing, alone in her room hiding away from the complications of her family. She probably chose a room that was on the highest floor of their home, being higher up in the sky had been even more appealing. Jane crossed his arms across his chest and leaned up against the wall, "What else would you like to do?"

The song was fading but Lisbon didn't seem to notice. She continued to whirl around with no sense of balance. Her feet twisted underneath her and she began to fall to the ground in a drunken haze. Jane quickly rushed forward and grabbed her before she fell, her head collided with his chest and her hands clutched at his shirt.

Lisbon looked up at him, her breathing was hard and fast from all of her exuberant dancing and her eyes were glassy from the alcohol. She was so close to him, pressed up against him and she wasn't afraid at all. Wasn't thinking about the consequences of anything, wasn't afraid of the problems that could come with her thoughts. All she knew was that she wanted to give in and nothing else mattered.

She stood on her toes and pressed her lips against his.

Jane was caught off guard completely, which is why he didn't push her away, he was too surprised to respond. After a moment she pulled back and looked at him with no shame or guilt, "I've always wanted to do that," she told him honestly.

She had tasted of sweetness and tequila and the alcohol in his system made a heady combination. He could think clearly, at least he should, but he didn't really want to at the moment. Jane wanted that softness again so much that he wondered briefly if the alcohol was affecting him more than he thought…but like her, he didn't really care.

He tightened his grip on her, which was encouragement enough for her. Lisbon pulled his head down to kiss him again. He responded this time fully, pulling her close as she wound her fingers through his hair. The song on the CD player skipped ahead to the soft slow ballad that only served to electrify the air around them. Lisbon felt his heart beating against her chest and she could smell the musky scent of his skin. When was the last time she felt so giddy and free? She couldn't remember, but she knew she didn't want it to end.

Lisbon broke the kiss but didn't pull away, just looked into his eyes, his breath hitting her face, making her shiver with excitement. There was no turning away now.

She took his hand firmly and led him towards the stairs that led to her bedroom; the only sound was the Spice Girls crooning _Two Become One_…

_OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO_

It was the pounding headache that finally roused Lisbon from her drunken slumber. It had been a long time since she'd experienced a hangover and she hadn't missed it one bit. Lisbon groaned and rubbed her aching head while trying to sort through the cobwebs in her brain. She moved to get off the bed when she felt the sheets against her bare skin.

Why was she naked?

All she remembered was a haze of tequila shots, loud giggles and…the Spice Girls? What the hell happened? There was the drinking, then the dancing…oh God she had danced to pop music in front of Jane! _I'm going to kill him_ she thought seriously, _I can't believe he let me make a fool of myself like that!_

Focus, she had to focus, what happened after the dancing? The throbbing in her head intensified as she wracked her brain for the answer. An image…no more of feeling came to mind. A feeling of bravery and no inhibitions. She closed her eyes and heard Jane's voice,_ "What else would you like to do?" _he'd said. What did she want to do? What secret did she hide from him?

Lisbon's heart plummeted as the memory came rushing back of pressing her lips to his, leading him up the stairs…bare skin on bare skin. No! She couldn't have done that!

_Then why are you remembering it?_ The reasonable side of her asked.

It must be a dream, she hoped, she'd had those dreams before of Jane. It had to have been a dream.

_You are _naked_ and _satisfied_, what else could have caused that?_

"Oh God," she gasped covering her mouth with her hand. She'd done it; she'd actually done it!

She had slept with Patrick Jane.

It might have been the shock of the realization of what she had done or perhaps the after effects of the tequila binge that made Lisbon feel sick to her stomach. Taking a few breaths she quieted the urge to panic. _You were drunk_ she told herself_ you never would have done something like this sober! _Slowly she came to the inevitable conclusion _I can't believe _he_ did this!_

Somberly Lisbon got out of bed and dug through the drawers in her bureau for the first thing she could find, a long t-shirt and shorts she usually slept in on sweltering summer nights. She felt more like herself fully dressed, almost as if she could pretend none of the night's previous events had happened…almost.

She slowly made her way down the stairs noticing that the tequila bottle and shot glasses had been cleared. Jane must have done that before he'd left. Maybe he had decided that it was all a big mistake, maybe they could pretend it had never happened. She sighed in relief.

"Good morning Lisbon."

Jane's voice made her tense up immediately. She turned around to see him sitting casually at her kitchen counter. He was wearing the same clothes from the previous night, a harsh reminder of their tryst. Beside him was a glass of water and two pills of aspirin thoughtfully prepared for her.

All she wanted to do was kill him.

"You son of a bitch," she growled and balled her fists.

He simply smiled, "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

Lisbon glared at him, "Someone didn't wake up in their_ own_ bed."

"Well this wasn't _entirely_ my fault."

She looked at him incredulously, "Not entirely your fault? _You_ brought the tequila!"

Jane calmly stood up, "My intention was only to help you relax, nothing more."

"Oh really?" she replied doubtful.

"Honest," he told her, "Admit it, you haven't felt as free as you did last night in a long time. All of your tension about the case was forgotten and you were never more truthful with yourself."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "I was drunk."

He smiled, "Which is why you were willing to be honest with what you really want to do."

"I was drunk," Lisbon repeated firmly, "end of story." But she stepped closer to him, "But why did you let me…why did _you_ do it?"

Jane simply shrugged it off, "Well…"

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, she didn't need to hear the excuse that she'd been willing or that he was a guy. She'd already had enough humiliation. "Get out. Get out of my apartment."

He raised an eyebrow, "Now Lisbon…"

"Get out before I shoot you."

He finally did leave, but he never stopped smiling even as he shut the door behind him. Once she was alone again she finally took a seat, slowly breathing in and out to release…whatever it was that she was feeling. Anger, embarrassment, fear. She didn't know. She just knew that now she had a problem she wasn't sure how to fix.

But he had been so calm. Perhaps he didn't see it as a big deal; maybe when they saw each other again they could just pretend it didn't happen. Lisbon hoped so but that sensible side of her nagged in her mind again. _Something like this is too big; you'll never go back._

All she did know was that she didn't know. She didn't know what the consequences of their actions would be.

* * *

Since Lisbon and her partner had been called into a private video conference with the director of the FBI, she had asked Grace to keep an eye on Cassie since day care had closed for the evening. Cho and Rigsby were debriefing Dalton on what they had found and Jane was trying to nap on the couch, though she suspected he was getting little sleep. They all knew that Red John kept him awake at night.

Cassie wasn't any trouble at all to watch. The girl was sitting quietly at Rigsby's desk coloring with her crayons. Grace was glad since it gave her time to double check her work. She needed the distraction. She knew she couldn't hide it forever, but now was just not the right time. Red John was more important at the moment.

"Are you sleeping?"

Grace looked up from her computer work and saw that Cassie had abandoned her coloring book and was standing by Jane's couch.

"I'm considering it," Jane replied. His comment was so sincere, as if he were speaking to an adult instead of a child.

"It doesn't look very comfortable," she said, "You don't have any blankets or pillows." Grace watched as she ran over to the little pink duffle-bag Lisbon had brought in with her. "Mommy gave me a blanket for Christmas."

Jane sat up and watched as she rummaged through the bag until she removed a child—sized fuzzy blanket with a giant picture of the Little Mermaid on it. "You can have it to sleep if you want."

Grace covered her mouth to hide her smile at the thought of Jane curled up with that blanket. Jane smiled at her. "Thank you, but I don't think I'll need that."

"Oh," Cassie said in a disappointed tone.

Jane smiled at her again. "I do appreciate the kindness."

Cassie smiled back at him. "Mommy always said you were funny."

"Did she?" Jane asked, "Does your mother speak of me often?"

"She talks about all of you," she replied, "Grace, Rigsby, everyone. I wanted to know who the people in the pictures were."

"What pictures?"

"The ones in the picture book," Cassie explained, "She has lots of pictures"

Grace smiled to herself. So Lisbon hadn't forgotten about her old team. Despite the fact that she'd neglected to tell them about her new life and child, she had shared their many stories with Cassie.

"What does she tell you about us?" Jane asked. She must have looked confused because he clarified, "What sorts of stories does she tell you?"

"She says you like to find trouble, but I don't know why you'd like to do that."

Jane chuckled and Grace but back her own smile at the girl's honesty. "I don't really," he said, "But sometimes I have to make trouble in order to make the culprit reveal himself."

"Did Mommy ever put you in time out when you got into trouble?"

Jane smiled again. "I'm sure she wanted to. Sometimes she did the grown up equivalent of time out."

"What's that?" she asked.

He laughed again. "I'll tell you when you're older."

_"What was that supposed to mean?"_ Grace wondered to herself. Jane sometimes spoke in cryptic terms. Actually he almost always did that.

She saw the time on her computer and remembered how Lisbon had said that Cassie could have a healthy snack if she wanted. The little bag of apple slices was on her desk, she took it now and left her chair. She walked over to Cassie and Jane. "Cassie?" she asked.

Cassie and Jane both looked at her and Grace saw something she had missed before.

_"I'm seeing things, I must be."_

They both had a similar nose. Her cheekbones were high and shaped just like Jane's. _"This is silly, they don't look alike._"

But her hair, it was curly like Jane's even though hers was a dark brown. And…the eyes. They had the same blue-green eyes. She had never seen anyone but Jane with eyes quite like that.

"Is something wrong, Grace?" Jane asked her.

Grace looked at him, hoping his face would hold clear answers. No, Jane was always good at keeping his secrets. He betrayed nothing.

"No," she finally said, "I was just wondering if Cassie wanted something to eat."

"Yes, please," Cassie said. Grace gave her a small smile and handed her the bag of apples. Cassie returned to Rigsby's desk to color while she snacked.

Grace looked at Jane again but he only smiled and lay back down on the couch. She glanced back at Cassie and then back at Jane. She needed to get back to work. She needed to do a lot of things, but that all seemed meaningless now. Even Red John had been eclipsed by this sudden question:

Could it be?

* * *

Lisbon entered the CBI the next morning holding Cassie's hand and with slightly less trepidation than the day before. She wasn't a fool; she had known that yesterday was going to be awkward for many different reasons and it was. But now that everything, well _almost_ everything, was out in the open she hoped that they could all move on and get back to work.

They all had certainly taken a shine to Cassie. All her daughter had been able to talk about was the team. She chattered on and on about Grace, Rigsby and Cho, she was so excited that she was finally meeting them after hearing the stories. By far the one she talked about the most was Jane, "Mr. Jane really is a funny man mommy," Cassie had said as Lisbon had tucked her in to sleep, "I like him."

She didn't want to admit it but Lisbon was not sure how she felt about Cassie's declaration. It was difficult for her to discern what Jane was after, she knew him too well to believe in anything else. But the longer she waited for the other shoe to drop the more anxious she became.

After dropping Cassie off at the day care center she set her emotions aside and prepared to meet her friends. Ledford immediately headed towards the coffee pot, Lisbon couldn't help but smile at that, even on another coast some things never changed. Rigsby looked up from where he had been quietly talking with his wife as soon as they walked in. "Hey," he said straightening up and gestured to Jane who was sitting nearby, "We were just going over the information we got on Jonathon Fletcher, trying to see if we missed something."

Lisbon nodded but didn't reply. She had gone over what they had found with a fine-tooth comb and had learned nothing. Beyond the landlord's cryptic answers, Fletcher's friend who paid his bail hadn't seen Fletcher in years either, knowing nothing of his whereabouts. According to Cho he had been very convincing. Fletcher's former employer had barely remembered him, but had been willing to give Rigsby and Van Pelt his personnel file, which only told them that Fletcher had been a quiet employee that had never done anything to attract any negative attention.

The ache in her gut told Lisbon that they were about to hit a brick wall, her heart told her that she would never give up until Red John was either dead or in cuffs.

She sighed, "Make sure to send a message to local police to be on the look out for him, until we find him we need to look somewhere else." Lisbon just had no idea what that would be.

"I may know where," Cho interrupted her thoughts.

They all turned to see him standing from his office door, with Cho the best way to discern his feeling was his eyes and Lisbon saw weariness and dismay reflected in his chocolate brown depths. She knew that they were in for bad news.

"I just got a call from Springsfield," he explained, "local police said that there's been another murder. Red John has killed again."

* * *

A/N: duh duh DUH! He's at it again! Oh dear and what will THIS murder tell us about our white whale? You'll have to find out next chapter. Please review, it makes us work faster!


	5. Each Truth, Each Lie

Disclaimer: We own absolutely nothing

A/N Nerwen Aldarion: Yes we did it! We finished the next chapter on time. I wanted to finish this before I go to Peru, remember this will probably be the last update for 6 weeks, I'll be back in the beginning of July. Now there is a chance my sister will update the next chapter on her own but we aren't going to promise anything. But anyhoo I loved this chapter, I loved how much fun this was to play with people's minds. The ending scene is my favorite and I agonized over it for a while but I think it turned out well.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: Yeah, no promises, but since most of the next chapter is all personal stuff I'm going to try and write it on my own. So stay tuned. I do hope everyone likes this chapter. More stuff is revealed about Jane and Lisbon. Oh and just a side note, since the season finale is coming up we thought we would just say that we don't intend to change how this story goes (meaning who we have in mind for Red John) so consider this an AU if you would like. Now on with the show.

Note: the chapter title comes from Dylan Thomas' poem This Side of the Truth

* * *

Chapter 5: Each Truth, Each Lie

Springsfield was a high-end suburb that the well to do families of California had flocked to in an attempt to find safety and serenity away from the city. Lisbon had seen enough cases to know that no home was safe, no matter how much security the home owner's guide declared, there was always a way for evil to creep in, even if it had to start from the inside.

But this evil was different, this one was unknown and that terrified Lisbon because she was not sure if she could stop it.

She pulled the car to a stop on the street corner by the large home that was now a crime scene. Police cars lined the street and neighbors peeked from windows or the unashamed actually gawked from their front yards. Lisbon ignored the buzzing activity; her first focus was always to assess the crime first before dealing with the inevitable havoc that came when crime invaded a normally "safe" street.

"Cho's team is already here," Ledford announced not to Lisbon's surprise. She had seen Jane's car parked behind Cho's SUV, but it was still strange for her to hear them addressed as _Cho's_ team, still strange to not be in the car with them. How many crime scenes had gone like this? Specifically, how many had been Red John's?

Too many. That was the problem.

Without a word to her partner, Lisbon got out of the car and walked towards the home. It was time to get to work and put her trepidations aside. An officer was at the door and chivalrously opened it for her and her partner. Her old team stood in the living room talking amongst themselves, they all turned when she entered.

She looked at Cho expectantly and like a mind reader he began, "The victim is Evan Langley, a lawyer from Sacramento, his wife found him this morning when she came back from a retreat with friends."

"Is she still here?" Lisbon asked.

"She was taken to the hospital," Grace explained softly, "She was in shock." There was no need to go any further, it wasn't uncommon for family members to lose their minds with grief, it was simply a painful truth that was best not dwelled upon.

Lisbon nodded her understanding, "Are we certain…"

"It's him," Jane spoke for the first time. She had avoided meeting his eyes, she didn't need to see him watching her, didn't need to see that determined look on his face. Lisbon never liked to see Jane when it came to Red John's cases, that relentless tenacity he exhibited was too much sometimes…it hurt her to see Jane hurting himself.

Ledford looked towards the stairs, "He's in the master bedroom, right?"

"Up the stairs, down the hall and to the left," Cho told him.

"Just follow the smell of blood," Ledford muttered grimly. Lisbon and her partner dismally turned towards the stairs that would lead to the real crime scene. It wasn't a sight that Lisbon relished seeing, but she knew that it had to be done.

The hallway was crowded with crime scene kits and people but Ledford had been correct, the smell of blood was almost over powering. The doorway to the bedroom was opened and Lisbon saw the infamous mark smiling proudly from the wall, the red tears streaming down the wall in that chilling way once again.

The familiar figure of medical examiner Marcia Wallace knelt by the bed, looking over the gruesome body of Evan Langley. She looked up to see Lisbon in the doorway and actually smiled, "Agent Lisbon, I'd heard rumors that you were back. Damn shame that it was for something like this."

Lisbon smiled softly, "It's good to see you again."

"I hope the FBI is treating you well."

"We do our best," Ledford cut in with a grin of his own. He turned his head and whispered to Lisbon, "Everyone seems to have missed you, I'm beginning to wonder why they let you go."

She just shook her head and ignored her partner's teasing; she didn't like it when he said things that were almost too close to the truth. "What can you tell us Wallace?"

Wallace sighed, "Not much more than what you already know. He was killed between one and four in the morning. His throat and chest were cut and the smiley face was drawn immediately after death."

"You didn't find anything unusual?" Lisbon asked looking around for something, anything that was out of place.

Wallace shook her head, "No."

Ledford sighed with disappointment, "So he didn't leave a message this time."

"Not necessarily." Jane's voice broke the silence behind them. Of course he would sneak up behind them like that.

Lisbon turned around to face him, "Did _you_ find something?"

He simply smiled, "Not what you are thinking of. There was no clear message from Red John directed towards me here."

Now she was confused, "But you still think there is a message…we just haven't found it yet?" she asked with clear annoyance, she wanted an explanation not another riddle.

"The message is right in front of you, we just do not know what it means yet."

So much for a clear answer. She threw her hands up in the air, "And I was hoping you would be vague about this." Her eyes fell on her partner who was staring at the body on the bed with intense concentration, "Ledford…what is it?"

Ledford shook his head, "It doesn't fit."

"What?"

He met his partner's gaze, "Red John kills women, that is his prey. He only goes off his mark to fulfill a vendetta or protect his identity…but nobody has publicly spoken out against Red John and as far as I know Langley has no connection to the case files…so why kill _him_? It just…doesn't fit."

"Exactly," Jane said proudly.

"So you are saying that Langley's death is the message," Lisbon finished but her voice was uncertain.

Jane nodded, "Red John is still trying to tell us something, he killed Kristy Amberson and left the drawing because there is something he wants us to know. Langley is an extension of that. There has to be a connection between Langley and Kristy, we find that and we'll know what the message is."

"So that's it then," she said, shaking her head in a mixture of disbelief and frustration, "There's nothing here."

"Nothing here that can help us," Jane explained simply.

"You can't know that," Lisbon replied, "I can't accept that."

"Red John is good at this game Lisbon, you need to accept that," He told her calmly but firmly, "The only way we are going to catch him is to play along, place a move before he does…but first we have to know the rules."

"And you do?"

He shook his head, "I'm trying to learn them."

She nodded, "Well when you are done _playing_, tell me. Until then I'm going to investigate these cases the only way I know how: _thoroughly_."

Lisbon quickly quit the room before she did something stupid like scream in frustration or hit Jane. Come to think of it the latter sounded like a pretty good idea. Somehow she found her way outside of the house and standing by the car. It was ironic really, she had given that big speech about investigations and yet she was the one to leave the scene prematurely. Just one more reason to hate Patrick Jane, he made her a hypocrite.

"Lisbon," Ledford's voice shook her from her thoughts and she looked up to see him standing in front of her, "You alright?"

She smiled but it was mirthless, "No, I'm not."

He nodded, "I figured…you've got that same look in your eyes the night we found little Jackie's body after Henry Greenlan killed her."

"This isn't Boston," she reminded him.

"No, but the situation is the same," Ledford explained. He put a hand on her shoulder and forced her to look in his eyes, "You feel responsible."

Lisbon shook her head slowly, "No I don't."

"Yes you do," He cut in, "That night in Boston you said that you should have done something…you should have known. You spent hours going over the evidence from the previous crime scenes because you needed to know if you missed something, if you could have found a way to stop him from taking one more child's life." Ledford stepped forward and put his other hand on her other shoulder, trapping her and forcing her to listen, "You didn't miss anything then and you haven't missed anything now. You couldn't have known…there was no way for you to prevent this."

She was quiet for a moment, taking in his words before nodding, "You're right. I know your right. There was nothing he left behind, nothing that could have led me to him." Lisbon closed her eyes and sighed heavily, "That's what frightens me…what if there never is? I've done this before so many times and I've never found that one piece of the puzzle that will put it all together. I can't keep telling myself that I'll find it this time…it's harder to believe that this time it's different."

"It is," Ledford assured her, "It is because this time…this time Red John _wants_ to be found."

Lisbon was startled by that statement, "You can't know that."

"Jane is right," Ledford told her, "He is playing a game with us and we are his pawns. The other player in this is Jane…he has plans, there is a purpose this time. He's not satisfying his need to kill but rather is doing this for a reason…he is leaving clues for Jane." Adam took a step back, "He's reaching out this time and if we play this game right…he will show us his hand."

Lisbon shook her head, "You and Jane…always talking in riddles."

Ledford smiled, "Isn't that what life is?"

This time she laughed for real, "I never should have brought you here, he's a bad influence on you."

"And what about you?" Ledford asked, "What damage did he do to you?"

She stopped smiling. He was probing and she knew it, he'd seen her affected too often by Jane now, he knew something…but not _everything._ Lisbon would keep it that way as long as possible.

So she shrugged and smiled again, "Come on, we still have a killer to catch."

* * *

Rigsby could feel the change in his wife since yesterday evening. He knew she hadn't been feeling well lately, but this was different. She was distracted and Grace was rarely ever distracted from her job.

He unwrapped his sub from it's paper wrapping but failed to take his first bite. Grace was sipping a bottle of water and frowning at Cassie. Lisbon had picked up the girl from daycare so they could have lunch together, hardly worthy of a disapproval.

"Why are you glaring at Cassie?" he asked.

"What?" Grace asked, shaken from her thoughts, "I'm not glaring at her."

"Then what were you doing?"

"I was just thinking."

"About?" he probed. She didn't say anything, just tapped her water bottle with her finger and watched the ripples form. "Grace, what aren't you telling me?" He couldn't hide the worry in his voice.

She looked at him and rubbed his shoulder affectionately. "It's nothing serious."

"Honey, I can tell something is bothering you," Rigsby said, "Maybe if you tell me I can help."

She looked back at Lisbon and her child and then sighed. "Alright." She leaned over so they were close enough to whisper. "Yesterday I was watching Cassie while Lisbon was conferencing with her boss, and Jane was there."

"So, did he upset her or something, 'cause Lisbon will kill him if he did."

Grace shook her head. "No, but I noticed something. They were talking together and I noticed that…" She looked back at Cassie who was nibbling on a crust-less sandwich.

"What?" Rigsby asked.

"She and Jane, they kind of look alike."

He frowned in confusion. "They look alike?"

"Yeah," she said, "Like maybe…" She nodded towards Lisbon.

Realization dawned on him and shook his head. "No way."

"Wayne," Grace sighed.

"No, Lisbon and Jane, it's impossible."

"You can't say that."

"With Lisbon, yes I can," Rigsby said, "She goes by the book, rules are rules."

"But there aren't any regulations against an agent having a relationship with a consultant," Grace reminded him, "Besides, there has always been sparks between them."

"More like friction," he corrected her, "Jane has always managed to get on her nerves."

"Come on, Wayne," Grace said, "If you took a good long look at her you would see it too. She has curly hair like Jane's."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"She has eyes that are exactly like Jane's," she continued, "And sometimes…I don't know she has these Jane-like tendencies."

Rigsby chuckled. "Like what? Hypnotizing criminals into confessing?"

"No, just how she notices stuff."

Rigsby shook his head again. "No, it's just not possible."

"Look at her," Grace challenged him, "Really look at her and then see if you think that."

He didn't really want to do that. Lisbon was Lisbon to him, no way would she do something like that. But he knew his wife well. She wouldn't let this go until he indulged her. Rigsby sighed and took one of the three cookies that had come with his meal. "I'll be back."

He walked over to where Lisbon and Cassie sat and ate together. "Hey, Lisbon," he said.

Mother and daughter both looked at him. "Yes?" Lisbon asked.

Rigsby stared at Cassie. Okay, the eyes _were_ freakishly similar. And her face sort of had a softer, more childlike shape but it did remind him of Jane's. "Um, I was wondering if Cassie would like one of my cookies for dessert."

Cassie gasped and smiled at him. Whoa! That smile…damn, it was a lot like Jane's.

"That's very sweet of you Rigsby," Lisbon said, "Cassie, say thank you."

"Thank you," she said, her blue-green eyes tightly locked on her dessert.

"You're welcome," he said out of habit.

Rigsby walked back to his desk where his wife waited for him with a smug smile on her face. He picked up his sub again but said, "It doesn't prove anything," before taking a bite.

"But it's possible," Grace said.

He couldn't argue with her on that point. Both of them looked at Cassie and Lisbon as they laughed over something they couldn't hear. What they said didn't matter at all. It was far more interesting to wonder of what secrets Lisbon had carried with her when she left five years ago.

* * *

Lisbon thanked the doctor before hanging up her phone and smoothly entering the squad room again. Rigsby and Van Pelt looked up as soon as she walked in as if expecting something to happen. "I just got a call from the hospital," She explained, "Langely's wife is ready to be interviewed. Cho and Ledford are still talking to his co workers so I'll be going to talk to her, which of you wants to come?"

Grace was the one who moved faster, standing up immediately, "I'll go."

"Great," Lisbon smiled, "Mind the phones Rigsby, let us know if anything comes up." She grabbed her badge before heading towards the door with Grace on her heels. She didn't even turn around to look just said, "Jane, I assume you're coming."

She knew he was smiling when he said, "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=

Mrs. Amanda Langely was sitting calmly in the hospital bed inside of her private room. The hospital bed was because of her going into shock earlier, the calm demeanor was most likely the effect of the tranquilizers. But her eyes still betrayed that emptiness and disbelief that Lisbon always hated to see. "Mrs. Langely," she began very softly, "I'm Agent Lisbon with the FBI, this Agent Van Pelt and Patrick Jane from the CBI…we just wanted to ask you a few questions."

"About Evan," Amanda Langely spoke with an almost dead voice, "You came to talk to me about my husband."

"Yes we did."

"It shouldn't take long," Grace said gently. She was the type to immediately sympathize with Mrs. Langely, it was something that Lisbon liked about Van Pelt.

Mrs. Langely shook her head, "I don't know what I can tell you. I just came home and there he was…" She choked up for a moment, covering her mouth with her hand as she tried to keep herself under control. After taking a deep breath she said, "It was that man wasn't it? That serial killer?"

"If you are talking about Red John then yes," Jane spoke bluntly. Lisbon winced inwardly but knew better than to call him out in front of a witness.

Instead she kept her focus on Langely's wife, "Mrs. Langely, have you ever heard of the name Jonathon Fletcher?"

Amanda thought for a moment before shaking her head, "No."

"What about Kristy Amberson?"

The answer was the same, "No."

"Did your husband ever talk to you about his work?" Jane cut in but his tone was even and kind, "He was a lawyer, did he ever mention his clients? Cases that were bothering him?"

"Sometimes," Mrs. Langely admitted, "but his work was above my head I…I didn't always understand and he…he didn't talk about it much and almost never gave any names."

Jane nodded but didn't reply for a while. Finally he asked, "Was he interested in crime? Did he ever look into the Red John case even if it was just for personal interest?"

"We both knew about Red John, in this state who doesn't?" She explained, "But Evan hated things like that, he used to turn the TV off every time it came on the news. He said that he didn't like being reminded that there was something so evil in the world." Amanda finally looked at him confused, "Why does this matter?"

He leveled his eyes with her; "I'm going to be honest with you Amanda because you seem like a person who values honesty. Red John killed a woman in Nevada, and now he killed your husband. We are trying to find a connection between the two because it is there and we need to find it if we are going to stop Red John before he kills again."

Lisbon decided it was time to cut in before Jane said anything else that was confidential, "Mrs. Langely, did you husband have any files from his work at home? Anything you could give us access to cross reference against any other information we have?"

She was quiet as she considered the question, "His office would have all of his work on his recent clients, you would have to talk to them." Amanda was silent again for a moment before saying; "Evan kept files from his previous practice in a storage building. It would take me some time to find the information on it…"

"That's okay," Lisbon assured her, "Just take your time, you've given us more than enough to look into right now." It was a lie but she could tell that the woman was having a hard time keeping it together right now, there was no way she was going to make her life even harder at the moment. Better to let her get better first.

The team quietly left Mrs. Langely to herself and headed towards the exit. Lisbon pulled out her phone and hit Adam's number on her speed dial, "Ledford, we just finished talking to the widow. She doesn't know anything. Was his office willing to give us his client list?"

They made their way to the car as Ledford explained, "Not a chance, you know the lawyer types, they want a warrant."

She groaned but wasn't all that surprised, "Will they give us anything at all?" she asked as she opened the car door and pulled herself behind the wheel. The minute she turned the engine on Jane started playing with the radio dial; Lisbon rolled her eyes and ignored him.

"Not a damn thing."

"Of course not," Lisbon sighed, "well we won't get a judge to sign a warrant on what we've got."

"Hmm," Jane murmured, his eyes still on the radio dial, "I thought being a Federal agent meant you could do what ever you want."

She glared at him and pushed the phone aside for a moment, "You watch too much TV," she shot back and turned her attention back to Adam. "Put the boot on them a little, maybe they'll let us have something."

"I think Cho and I can handle that," he replied.

"Okay," she said and noticed out of the corner of her eye that Jane suddenly was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. He stopped playing with the radio and happily lay back in his seat. "Call me if you get anywhere," she finished before hanging up the phone. Now she could focus her attention on backing out of the parking lot.

It was then that she picked up on what song that was playing through the car's speakers. The soft ballad crooned by bubbly girls:

_Once again if we endeavor_

_Love would bring us together_

_Take it or leave it, take it or leave it_

In an instant she was back in her old apartment in a tequila-induced haze, softly kissing Jane, giggling like a schoolgirl as she led him up the stairs to her bedroom. Images of the man sitting beside her flashed through her mind, every single one of them inappropriate.

_Are you as good as I remember baby_

_get it on, get it on._

And Jane was still smiling, "Are you a fan Van Pelt?"

Grace shrugged, she was texting and not paying attention, "It's alright I guess."

Jane turned back to Lisbon and if it was possible he was smiling even wider while Lisbon gaped in horror.

'_Cause tonight is the night_

_When two become one_

She had to put an end to this before it got out of hand. Lisbon all but slapped the radio, punching the button that turned it off with severe force. She tensely turned her eyes back on the road and muttered, "I hate that song."

She didn't have to look in the mirror to know that she was blushing, her skin felt hot so she knew her face probably looked like a tomato. Out of the corner of her eye she saw that Jane was still grinning widely. He had gotten to her and he knew it.

And now all she could think about was that drunken night with Jane as the Spice Girls crooned on.

Damn Patrick Jane.

* * *

Lisbon and her partner certainly had an irritating boss. They were once again having to videoconference with him on the case. Jane thought the whole thing was silly. The man was anxious for them to catch Red John so the FBI could claim all of the credit. This Griffins was clearly imagining interviews for book deals, his name being used as a character in a movie and the usually money-making schemes that followed when a serial killer was caught. Foolish really.

Jane finished pouring the boiling water into his mug. He then dropped the tea bag into the brew of hot water and milk. Red John was trying to say something to him, these murders were the key. If only the man weren't so good at this game then he would have this solved. But that was why Red John liked it so much. Jane knew he was considered a worthy adversary to the killer. They were players in the ultimate game of chess. The problem was that he couldn't see if Red John was close to calling checkmate.

He walked back into the squad-room and saw Van Pelt was at her desk trying to use work as a distraction from her nausea. He stopped short when he saw that Cassie was at her mother's temporary desk brushing the hair of one of her dolls with a little plastic brush. What was the point in the building having daycare if the child was still here half the time? He wouldn't have minded except…she was proving to be a distraction for him. With Red John, Jane couldn't afford distractions.

"Where are Rigsby and Cho?" he asked Van Pelt.

"What?" she asked, her illness keeping her preoccupied, "Oh, they are trying to get a warrant for Langley's files from his firm. Lisbon wanted me to watch Cassie."

Jane looked back at the girl. She kept brushing the doll's hair but not in a very enthusiastic manner. She was bored.

Well, this was a unique opportunity he had here. Nearly everyone was gone and he had time to indulge himself a bit. He couldn't just let this slip by.

"I can watch her for a little while if you want to get something to eat," Jane said.

"Um, that's okay."

"Come on, Grace, in your condition you'll need something," he insisted. Her eyes flared as his words treaded close to her little secret. Well she had done a terrible job of hiding it. "At the very least you could find something to make your feel better."

Van Pelt caved—like he knew she would—and let out a sigh. "I won't be gone long."

He watched until she had turned the corner and then he walked over to where Cassie sat. "Hi, Cassie."

The girl looked up at him and gave him a shy smile. "Hi, Mr. Jane."

"You don't have to be so polite," he assured her, "You can call me Jane if you like."

"Okay." She went back to her doll, just looking at the many different golden strands placed into the head. Still shy around him.

"What's your doll's name?" he asked her.

"Cindy," Cassie replied.

"That's a pretty name," Jane said, "Is she your favorite?"

"Of my people dolls," Cassie said, "but my favorite is my horse. His name is Brownie."

"You like horses."

Cassie nodded. "Mommy took me on a pony ride for my birthday last year."

"That sounds like fun." Jane smiled at the memory of when he actually gave Lisbon a pony for her birthday. Maybe he would do the same for Cassie. Probably best not to since Lisbon would disapprove, but it was a pleasant thought.

Questions weren't going to break the ice here. She clearly was trying to keep things polite and distant to protect herself. He would have to get more creative in order to her put her at ease.

"Would you like to play a little game, Cassie?"

Her boredom made her look up at him a nod her head. "Take something off of Grace's desk over there."

"Like what?"

"Nothing valuable," he said, "just one of her little trinkets."

Cassie left her chair and her doll and went to Van Pelt's desk. She picked up a little wooden figurine of Apollo Grace had picked up from her honeymoon as a memento. "Good choice," Jane said, "Now I'll go over to my couch over there and close my eyes. You hide it wherever you like. When you're done, come tap me on the shoulder and I'll see if I can find it."

"Okay," Cassie said with more eagerness. Jane went to the leather sofa and sat down. He put his hands over his eyes and waited.

Cassie's little feet made only a little whisper of sound as she crossed the room. She seemed to favor the balls of her feet more than the heel. Ballet or tap dance, he was certain of it. He heard the squeak of a chair and then some sort of scraping sound. Cardboard.

She almost ran back to him and tapped his shoulder. "I hid it."

"Alright, let me look," he said. Jane stood up from the couch and took a quick glance around the room. Cho's chair was at a slightly different angle then it was before. Well he couldn't make it seem too easy, though she apparently wasn't very good at hiding things.

Jane walked over Cho's desk and looked through the drawers. He made a show of looking disheartened and took a few steps away. The he snapped his fingers and went to the tissue box. The Apollo lay nestled over a bed of white tissues.

"Would you like to try again?" he asked her.

"Yes," she said and took it out of his hands, "And no peeking."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

Jane returned to the couch and covered his eyes again. It was ballet. Cassie had moved with a touch of grace and flexibility that came from the more rigorous ballet. Considering how busy Lisbon was, she was undoubtedly an excellent student.

He heard leaves rustling now from the side of the room with windows. She raced back once she had it hidden and tapped him again. "Did you peek?" she asked him.

"Cross my heart," he said.

Jane walked over to the windows and pretended to peruse everything that was on the sill. He glanced over Ledford's desk, but only as a foil. He found his way to the large potted plant and combed through the leaves. Cassie had stuck the little figurine between the branches.

"You're good at this game," she said.

"One more time?" he asked with a grin.

"You're not going to find it this time," she vowed.

"I hope you're right," he said. She was just a child, they normally sought out what was obvious and simple.

Jane returned to his couch and listened. He heard two objects dropping to the floor with a light bounce. Shoes? Was she taking off her shoes? This was confirmed when he heard the faint patter of sock-covered feet, but they were slow and impossible to discern a location. What was she up to?

After a few minutes he felt Cassie tap his shoulder. He opened his eyes and saw that she had her shoes in one hand. "See if you can find it now," she said with a grin.

"I'll do my best."

By taking off her shoes, she had eliminated any reference points. He would have to scan every corner of the room now to see if anything was amiss. None of the chairs had been moved. The plants didn't stir at all so they hadn't been touched. The drawers weren't cracked open.

Jane checked around the potted plants and behind the some case files. Apparently she hadn't hid the item in any of the usual places. Perhaps under a more vigorous search he could find it, but that would take up too much time. Better to let her claim her victory on this round.

"I give up," he said, "Where did you put it?"

Cassie grinned and ran up to Rigsby's desk and pointed. Placed between a paper tray and his wedding picture was the Apollo. "You hid it in plain sight," Jane observed, "How did you come up with that idea?"

"You said your weren't peaking," Cassie explained, "So I thought you might be listening. I took off my shoes so you wouldn't hear where I was going. I put it on the desk because it couldn't make a sound. I hoped you wouldn't notice it there."

Jane smiled at her keen little mind. "You're a very clever girl, Cassie."

"Mommy calls me Alberta Einstein," she said.

"It fits you," he said and ruffled her brown curls. He took the Apollo figurine and gave it back to her. "Put this back on Van Pelt's desk."

"Okay."

He watched her walk back to the desk and place it in the precise spot that it was before. "Can we play something else?"

"I would love to," he said. Van Pelt was just returning with a bottle of water and some crackers serving as her dinner. "But I have to get back to work. Some other time."

"Promise?" she asked.

Jane grinned at her and drew an X across his chest with his finger. "Cross my heart."

Cassie returned to her chair and picked up her doll so she could brush her hair again. Jane took up his now tepid tea and started to leave to get a fresh cup. "Hey," Grace called out to him, "Was she any trouble?"

Jane shook his head at her. "None at all, it was interesting."

Indeed, she was.

* * *

_Five Years Ago_

It was another case that Lisbon didn't feel good about, this time it was delving into the complications of politicians who lie and the innocents they hurt rather than a personal connection that bothered her. For a week she was forced to strip the truth from the self-protecting witnesses and possible suspects while fielding off complaints and threats every time the investigation cornered another one or whenever Jane decided to be Jane and make her life hell. The end result was finding a killer who had been played by a manipulative senator while the ones who exploited the situation (and who Lisbon considered equally guilty) were able to walk away free.

Sometimes she hated being limited by the rules but there were no laws against being a son of a bitch and a lying bastard. If there was, her job would be much easier…and she wouldn't have a former psychic/headache following her around every day.

Thinking about Jane was a big mistake though. It had been almost a month since that drunken night in her apartment and things had been bad since then. Not Jane though, he had acted just as he had before, _she_ was the one who couldn't stop things from being awkward. First it was just her anger at him for putting her in that situation, and then it was simply that she couldn't get over the fact that she'd actually slept with him. Lisbon couldn't help but wonder what he thought about her now, if he was thinking about her differently…if he was thinking about that night.

She wanted to know because she couldn't _stop_ thinking about it. The embarrassing dance, the secret desires she had spilled and of course the events that followed afterwards. If she were honest with herself she would admit that she was essentially haunted by that night. It had been a while since Lisbon had tasted passion…and now she was craving it. With Jane a constant figure in her life, he was a constant reminder of what had happened…and what she wanted.

Lisbon was supposed to be filling out paperwork but instead she caught herself staring at him, the inappropriate thoughts foremost in her mind. _Stop it_, she told herself, _he is a coworker and a menace, it doesn't matter how good-looking he is, nothing good can come from Patrick Jane._

Yes her head was being by the book, it was her memories that were betraying her. She remembered how it felt to have Jane's gentle hands on her skin, how freeing it was to not have a care in the world. As angry as she had been with his method of getting her to relax, Jane had been right, she had felt so calm and alive that night…and she wanted that again.

_No!_ She told herself again, _do not go down that path. It was a mistake, a drunken mistake that will _never_ be repeated._

Disgusted and determined to remove herself from temptation, Lisbon decided to call it an early night and go home, far away from Jane. Returning to her apartment didn't work as well as she'd hoped; it was the setting of her foolishness after all. Jane had sat at that table with the tequila; she had kissed in him in the same room she was sitting in now.

Lisbon shook her head and tried to clear her thoughts with a hot cup of tea but nothing was working. She felt jittery and nervous, almost like an addict craving a fix. Everything in her apartment was now a reminder…maybe moving out was a better option.

Her gaze fell on the Spice Girls CD that had provided the soundtrack of that evening, for a moment she let the familiar songs play through her mind before forcing them back out again. In disgust she got up and dumped the CD in a drawer, as if that would erase her temptations.

A knock at her door pulled her away from her thoughts. If it was her desperate neighbor asking her for a drink again she swore tonight was the night she would finally shoot him. But it wasn't her neighbor, oh no it was as if the fates had conjured up the vision she needed to make her nightmare complete.

Jane smiled at her as soon as she opened the door.

"Oh no," she said, "absolutely not." Then Lisbon closed the door on him. She crossed her arms and turned her back on the door but Jane simply knocked again. _Do not let him in_ she told herself, but he rapped on the door again. He had to have come by for a reason and she was a grown woman, she could control herself, nothing was going to happen this time.

Curiosity got the best of her so she opened the door again and there he was still smiling, "That's an unusual way to greet your friends." He said as he stepped into her apartment.

Lisbon scoffed, "Is that what we are? Friends?"

He shrugged, "What else would you call us?"

She leveled her gaze at him, "I can think of many things to call _you_."

Jane didn't even acknowledge her taunt, just casually smiled, "I suppose you could call us lovers…"

"Oh do not…" she exclaimed horrified, "do not even go there."

"Lisbon there is nothing to be ashamed of…" He began to assure her.

"I'm not ashamed," Lisbon protested, "You should be the one who's ashamed. You seduced me when I was _drunk_."

"Well not exactly," Jane explained calmly, "You were the one that started it I just…carried it on."

Lisbon groaned and rubbed her eyes as if hoping that would suddenly wish him away. Fed up with arguing with him over the past she decided to turn to the matter at hand, "What are you doing here Jane?"

He just smiled again, "You wanted me to come."

She looked at him doubtfully, "_I_ wanted you here?"

"Yes you did."

She shook her head quickly, "No I didn't." She couldn't believe what was going on, that he would have the gall to say something like. "Why would I want you here?"

Now he looked at her seriously, studying her as if he was probing her thoughts, "Because you need me again."

Lisbon sighed, "Jane…" she began but he cut her off.

"This case was difficult for you Lisbon, I could see it in your eyes…"

"And you are here to help me," She finished, "How?" Jane smiled knowingly at her and that was when she knew. She knew that he had known exactly what she had been thinking about all afternoon. A mixture of embarrassment and anger flared up inside of her, "No, no I'm not doing this."

"Lisbon…" he started calmly.

"No Jane," she interrupted still angry, "We are not going to do this, you are _not_ my Geisha."

Jane actually chuckled softly at her statement, "Now that is ridiculous."

She sighed, he was right, it was a ridiculous thing to say but she didn't know what to do about him anymore. "You need to go home."

Now he stopped smiling but took a step forward, never once pulling his gaze from her eyes, "Only if you want me to."

Lisbon opened her mouth to say just that…but no words came out. She couldn't really say that she didn't want to, not after she had just been fighting herself over it.

Jane took a few steps closer to her. "This doesn't have to be anything other than a desire to help one another."

"I could just get drunk again, alone," she said.

"But this is by far the healthier option, and the most beneficial to you," he explained, "There has always been an attraction between us."

Lisbon raised her brows at his simple words that confessed so much. "It's nothing unique," he said, "We work together and we both have suffered a loss that has changed who we are. It might be useful if we indulged out desires every now and then, let the tension between us dissipate."

This was getting to an uncomfortable level. She didn't want to be persuaded to give in to Jane's suggestion…at least she didn't think she did. Damn it, Jane was confusing her again.

"Lisbon, this will eat at you all night," Jane continued, "Whenever a case gets to you it attaches itself like a leech, and you can't shake it off until you find a distraction. Let that be me. It doesn't have to be anything more than that."

Jane was right. She would spend the night tossing and turning, flipping through channels, cleaning her spotless apartment in an effort to shake it. None of it worked. Except…could his offer be true. Could they just enjoy each other for the need to rid themselves of stress?

"Lisbon," he said her name in barely a whisper. It was one more invitation. She accepted it by closing the distance between them with a kiss.

=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=

Lisbon was feeling a lot of things when she woke up the next morning but regret wasn't one of them. She just couldn't muster that particular feeling up. She felt strange, felt calm and a little embarrassed that she let it happen but she couldn't regret it.

She woke up alone in her bedroom again, Jane wasn't there but this time she didn't hope he was gone. Lisbon scrounged around for some clothes again, this time being a bit more selective. She didn't want to appear anything other than in control…even if she was feeling the exact opposite.

The smell of coffee alerted Lisbon to just what Jane was doing that morning. He was in her kitchen making breakfast, while out of his sight she allowed herself to smile over that. Patrick Jane might be the most frustrating man alive…but he had those moments where he was sweet too.

"Good morning Lisbon," Jane said as soon as she stepped into his field of view, "I must say you have an excellent kitchen but you should go shopping for groceries more often."

"I'll let the criminals know to give me the day off so I can do that," she told him flippantly. She poured herself a mug of coffee before taking a step back and leaning up against the counter, idly watching him cook. Lisbon wasn't entirely sure how to begin, her liaisons in the past were never this cloudy, either there was a future or there wasn't. With Jane it was different, working with him everyday meant she couldn't avoid him…but he was Jane, it was hard to imagine what his intentions toward her were.

"I…" she began hesitantly, "I didn't expect you to still be here." Okay it was a lie but at least it was the start of the conversation.

"You thought I would slip off in the middle of the night?" Jane replied with a smile, "I would never mistreat you like that Lisbon."

She shook her head, "Jane…we should probably talk about this." He turned to look at her now and she faltered a little bit, "Shouldn't we?"

Jane shrugged, "Only if you want to."

Now that surprised her. Isn't that what people were supposed to do when things like this came up. Figure out a plan for the future, how to act while at work, if the night meant anything at all? It confused Lisbon, if he didn't think they needed to talk then maybe…maybe this wouldn't be more than what it was. Something casual to help her out of a rough time, something simple that wouldn't change anything between them at all. She liked that thought.

Finally she made a decision, "I don't want to."

"Then we don't have to," Jane told her easily. He seemed so calm about it, as if it was nothing. And maybe it wasn't, maybe he had been honest with her when he said it was just a 'distraction' and nothing more.

Lisbon took a bite of the eggs Jane was scooping out onto a plate, "This is good," she told him.

"Yes it is," he answered with an honest smile.

It wasn't going to mean anything; it wasn't going to change anything. Whatever was happening between them was nothing more than this Lisbon told herself. She just couldn't quiet that small voice in the back of her mind that said one thing:

_You're fooling yourself_.

* * *

The break area for the CBI agents was small and cramped but also a perfect place for agents seeking a snack to be able to sit and bounce ideas on cases off while heating up microwavable dinners. It also happened to be the same place where gossip was shared like old biddies at the beauty salon.

Rigsby and Van Pelt were sitting down at the table; Rigsby was finishing off a left over carton of Chinese food while Van Pelt simply nursed a bottle of water. Having been married for over a year now it was not uncommon to find them airing their dirty laundry out at the CBI headquarters since that was where they spent the majority of their time; however, this time the dirty laundry was not their own.

"I'm just saying that it is a possibility," Grace told her husband with a forceful tone.

"We are talking about Lisbon here," Rigsby reminded her, "there's just no way."

"Come on, you're saying that there wasn't anything between them."

"Oh there was something between them," he said with a smile, "annoyance, she was always two seconds away from punching him in the face…actually she _did_ punch him in the face."

Grace couldn't help but laugh, she leaned back in her chair and took another sip of her water, "But you had to have seen the way he picked at her."

"He picks at all of us."

"Yes but with her it was different, it was more…personal," she told him, "he liked to tease her about reading her mind, always pointing out how much she _didn't_ want him to know what she was thinking. She had something to hide…and it was about him."

Rigsby stuck his fork in his carton, "You can't know that."

"Yes I can."

"No you can't."

"I can because I'm a woman."

He looked at his wife incredulously, "What does that have to do with anything?"

She gave him a stern look, "Women can identify with each other better than men, we connect, something you couldn't understand."

Rigsby took a drink from his coffee, "Can't argue with that."

"Can't argue with what?" Cho asked as he walked into the room in the immediate direction of the coffee pot.

"That men can't understand women." Rigsby explained.

"Well I know you can't," Cho replied with a quick hit.

Grace looked at Cho's back with an intense stare, sizing up her options before finally speaking, "Cho, what do you think about—."

"Oh come on," Rigsby cut in, "Don't ask him."

"Why not?"

"Because it's ridiculous."

Grace glared at him, "Ridiculous? You think my concern over my friends is ridiculous?"

"What are you two talking about now?" Cho asked his curiosity peaked.

"We were discussing Jane and Lisbon," Grace explained while Rigsby groaned, "I'm wondering if maybe something was going on between them…and if Cassie might be Jane's daughter."

"I think that it's their personal lives and so it's none of our business," Rigsby pointed out, "besides, Lisbon wouldn't sleep with someone from work. She's too professional for that."

Cho shrugged and turned to look at Grace, "What makes you think he's wrong?"

She sighed, "Look at Cassie, she's got Jane's eyes…"

"Her eyes are blue, a lot of people have blue eyes," Cho pointed out.

"She's got his nose and her hair is curly like his…and there was always this chemistry between Jane and Lisbon."

"That's not enough," Cho replied, "you can't make a case on that kind of evidence."

Rigsby smiled smugly, "You see, I told you, not enough proof." He turned to look at Cho, "No way Lisbon slept with Jane right?"

"I didn't say that," Cho said, "I think she was sleeping with him, Van Pelt just doesn't have the proof."

Grace's eyes lit up, "You have proof?"

Cho took a sip of coffee, "About six months before Lisbon left things were noticeably different between them. She wouldn't sit next to him at a table, was even more annoyed when he said something that could be construed as flirtatious. Once after a long case she mentioned she was frustrated, he said she needed to relax and that he would 'take care of it'. As soon as he said that she visibly blushed and immediately began talking about the case again."

"That's not enough," Rigsby scoffed.

Grace ignored her husband, "So you think that she started acting different around him to hide the fact that something was going on?"

"It would explain her change in behavior," Cho replied.

"Still Cho," Rigsby said, "All of your evidence is circumstantial. It doesn't prove anything. And even if they were together, that doesn't mean Jane is Cassie's father."

"But it means he could be," Grace pointed out smartly.

Rigbsby half groaned half sighed, "Alright, but how would you prove that…" he trailed off as Jane walked into the break room, "…that the Giants have a bad tight end?"

Grace looked confused, "What?" Her husband subtly gestured with his eyes and she turned to see Jane smiling from the doorway, "Oh Jane…we were just talking about football, you know only a few months until the season starts."

Jan just smiled as he set a cup of water to heat in the microwave for tea, "I thought you were a Hawkeyes fan, Grace."

She blinked, "I am."

He didn't reply but his smile never dimmed. The three agents didn't say a word either but continued to speak with their eyes to one another. Neither one could keep from letting their eyes travel to Jane though as they pondered the question that plagued them.

"I assure you there is nothing special about how I prepare my tea," Jan said making all of them wince. He finished pouring milk into the brew and turned to look at his friends. "Let me guess, you are all speculating about whether or not I am Cassie's father."

His gaze focused on each of them one at a time, "Grace you believe it because of some gut instinct you have regarding Lisbon's feelings and what you believe to be a resemblance between Cassie and myself.

"Cho your beliefs are centered on something you think you noticed," he studied Cho's face, "some kind of difference you believe in Lisbon's behavior that you think means we were together."

Now Jane turned to final one of the group brushing him off with a wave of his hand, "And Rigsby, you don't know what to think so you are staying with the idea that nothing could have happened no matter how uncertain you are."

"How did you know that?" Rigsby asked.

"A magician never reveals his tricks."

Jane took a sip of his tea and smiled, "Its not very good manners to talk about us behind our backs, a bit like unruly children don't you think?" None of them said anything but continued to look at him with wide-eyed and somewhat shameful stares. His smile grew, "At any rate, I won't keep you in suspense: yes I am Cassie's father."

Van Pelt gasped and Jane still continued to smile, "I'll see you guys later," he said and he strolled from the room.

One by one the agents looked at one another with identical looks of shock of disbelief. Finally Rigsby said, "Did that really just happen?"

* * *

A/N: Hmmm what did just happen? LOL You have to remember that Jane sees all! LOL So he knows about Cassie...but for how long? You'll find out in the next chapter for sure. Remember this might be the last update until July but reviews always make us want to write more.


	6. From What I've Tasted Of Desire

Disclaimer: Yeah, we own The Mentalist, just as soon as we win the lottery.

A/N Tinuviel Undomiel: Alright, so after a lot of busy weeks of moving I finally found the time to finish this chapter. My sister, Nerwen Aldarion, wrote her scenes before she left for Peru so I filled in the rest. This chapter doesn't have a lot about the case mainly because of the bombshell Jane dropped on the team in the last chapter. Do you really think they would be caught up in the case after being told that? This chapter also has probably my favorite scene I ever wrote for this story, the flashback at the end. I'm so proud of it. I hope you all like it as much as I do. I promise to keep working on this when my sister returns, though we may split our time between this fic and another Mentalist one. The season finale gave us an awesome idea that I think all of you will really love. Now on with the show!

Note: The chapter title comes from Robert Frost's poem "Fire and Ice"

* * *

Chapter 6: From What I've Tasted of Desire

The alarm clock the hotel provided let out its daily irritating squawk. Lisbon shut it down and sat up. Cassie rolled over beside her and let out a little mumble. "Sweetie," Lisbon said, "Time to get up."

"It's early, Mommy," she whispered while blinking away the sleep.

"I know, but Mommy has to go to work."

"To catch the bad guys."

She smiled. "Yeah, to catch the bad guys."

She walked Cassie to the bathroom and helped her brush her teeth. Once that was done she took a box of cereal and a disposable bowl and made Cassie breakfast. "I like meeting everyone from your old team, Mommy."

"I think they like you too," she said over a cup of coffee.

"I hope Grace feels better today," she said, "She wasn't feeling well yesterday or the day before that."

"Maybe she will," Lisbon said. Unfortunately, that was doubtful. "So have you made any friends in daycare yet?"

"I played with Dena," Cassie said, "We painted a picture together."

"That sounds nice."

"Do you think Mr. Jane will play with me again today?"

The coffee she had been sipping suddenly turned into a rope that constricted around her throat. Lisbon coughed until the liquid finally cleared. "Are you alright, Mommy?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she said. What the hell was Jane doing? She was burning to ask Cassie a thousand questions, but she couldn't do that. She likely had very little to actually tell her.

"Wh-what did Jane play with you?" she asked.

"I hid something and he would try and find it."

Harmless enough. Lisbon smiled a little. "I bet he found it every time."

"No, he couldn't find it on the last time," Cassie said with a triumphant little smile over her cereal.

Jane, duped by a four year old. Oh she would have paid big money to see that. She couldn't help but be proud of her daughter, she had bested Jane at one of his games. It actually wasn't so surprising since she got it from her father.

"He's nice," Cassie continued to sing Jane's praises, "And funny. Do you think I should paint him a picture?"

"What?"

"Well you like my pictures," Cassie said, "Do you think he'd like mine?"

"Um, I don't know," Lisbon said, "Did Jane say anything to you, honey?"

"He asked about Cindy and then we played the game," Cassie replied now with a bit of concern. "Is something wrong, Mommy? Did I do something bad?"

"Of course not, Cassie," Lisbon said, "I'm just a little surprised. I didn't think Jane would want to play with you." She hadn't thought Jane had even noticed her.

"You think he doesn't like me?"

The fear in her daughter's voice made a tidal wave of guilt crash over her. Cassie was only four years old, she didn't understand the complexity of how she came to be. She didn't need to know. Her biggest fear was that someone wouldn't like her and that was the way it should be.

Lisbon smiled and ruffled her hair. "Of course he likes you. The fact that he played with you tells me that he likes you a lot."

Or that Jane was up to something. Cassie didn't have to know that either.

* * *

Lisbon dropped Cassie off at the daycare center where she was immediately greeted by the other children. Cassie had that gift of immediately belonging in every place she was set in. Lisbon flipped through a report as she walked into the squad room. Nothing new.

When she looked up she saw that Cho, Rigsby and Van Pelt were all staring at her. "Just a report," she said, guessing they were waiting for her to explain herself.

"Oh," Rigsby said absently. Their stares didn't fall away.

Now this was weird. They were looking at her funny like she was wearing a cow costume instead of her normal suit. "Is there cereal on my face?" she asked.

Jane suddenly let out a chuckle and she saw that he was on his couch reading the newspaper. "What did you do?" she asked him.

"I've done nothing," he assured her.

"Then why are they acting like this?"

"Maybe you look particularly stunning this morning."

"Go to hell," she told him. She knew he had done something, maybe he had said she would have to play his wife again in some sort of crazy scheme.

"I compliment you and you curse me," Jane said, clearly amused, "D.C. manners sure are different to those in California."

Ledford walked into the room carrying two cups of coffee. "Here, Lisbon."

She gratefully accepted his cup. "Did he do something?"

"Jane?" Ledford asked, "Did Jane do what?"

"Say something? Pull one of his crazy schemes?" she asked. Lisbon looked back at Jane. "What are we doing now? You want me to go undercover as a hooker and you as my potential John?"

Jane openly laughed at her words. Even Ledford cracked a smile. "Let me assure you, Lisbon, no one would believe you to be a hooker."

"Cho, what's going on?" Lisbon asked him.

"Nothing," was his curt reply.

"Something is up," she said, "I can feel it."

"We're just tense about the case," Rigsby offered.

It was a bald lie, but that didn't matter. Their job was to work on the case. The sooner they had Red John the sooner she could go home. Lisbon sat at her desk and double checked her notes from the previous day. It failed to keep her mind off of what was going on, but it did pass the time.

The team's squad room was still full of an awkward tension that Lisbon simply couldn't place. She certainly couldn't remember doing anything recently that would upset the team; she didn't see Cho, Grace or Rigsby pulling something that would upset everyone like this. Jane was the most likely suspect and the evidence supported that since she caught everyone glancing at him at some point or another. But what did he do?

She was actually relieved when her cell phone rang; it meant she had an excuse to leave the room. Lisbon tucked herself away into an empty room to answer it, "Agent Lisbon."

"Agent Lisbon…this is Amanda Langley." Lisbon recognized the voice of the distraught woman in the hospital immediately.

"Mrs. Langley," Lisbon repeated, a little surprised that she had called, "I'm sorry but we are still in the middle of your husband's case, I can't divulge anything."

"I understand," the woman replied, "But I wanted to let you know that I found the key to my husband's storage building."

That perked Lisbon's interest, "The one where he kept his old files."

"Yes."

Excitement flowed through her quickly, this could all lead to nothing or it could lead to something very important. At the very least it was somewhere to look, "And we have your permission to look into those files for evidence."

"Of course, anything to help you find this man."

"These files belonged solely to your husband right? We don't need to ask permission from anyone else?"

"They were files from his own practice," Amanda explained, "He's the only one who had them."

Lisbon felt like pumping her fist in the air in victory, "This is great Mrs. Langley, I'll be right over to speak to you in person."

She hung up the phone in a much better mood than she had been before the call. Lisbon walked back into the squad room triumphantly, "Mrs. Langley called, she's out of the hospital and she found the key to the store room where her husband kept his old files."

"You think there's something there?" Rigsby asked.

"We don't know," Lisbon replied, "but if Jane is right and there is a connection between Kristy Amberson and Evan Langely, it's possible that we'll find it in those files." Now she turned to Grace, "Van Pelt, you were with me when we spoke to her, why don't you come with me again?"

"Sure," Grace replied and quickly got to her feet to follow Lisbon out to the car.

=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=

Amanda Langley was staying at a friend's house now that her home was marked as a crime scene. Lisbon gave the woman credit for actually going back to her house to find the key to the storage room, every so often a family member could be truly helpful beyond her expectations.

Lisbon and Van Pelt were greeted at the door by Mrs. Langley herself, "Agent Lisbon, Agent Van Pelt," she said, "I'm glad you were able to see me so quickly."

"We want to ensure that we catch this man as soon as possible," Lisbon assured her, "It was no problem at all."

Amanda nodded but it was hard to miss the tears in her eyes, this woman was very close to falling apart again. Grace must have noticed it too because Lisbon saw her immediately step forward, "Ma'am, I know this is a very difficult time for you, why don't you sit down."

"But don't you need…"

"It can wait a bit," Lisbon cut in, catching Grace's eye. The other agent smiled sweetly at her former boss' sympathy.

Amanda didn't fight them but let Grace lead her to the kitchen table while Lisbon scrounged up a glass of water for her. "Thank you," Amanda said when Lisbon handed her the glass and she took a long sip, more for the time to calm her nerves than anything else.

Lisbon waited a moment before gently asking, "If it is alright, may I ask you what kind of files your husband had in that storage building?"

The woman nodded limply, "They were files of his old clients from when he worked at his own practice. He worked briefly as a criminal lawyer but decided to work civil cases instead." She smiled softly, "He said he didn't like always being the bad guy in people's eyes, even if it was for a good cause."

Lisbon felt a small pang when she said that, it reminded her of her own feelings towards lawyers. How she sometimes found it hard to believe that they would defend some of the scum she'd put away. It was true that she liked some well enough, but then there were some who never failed to make her skin crawl. It made her feel a bit guilty, it had always been so easy to dislike those who defended the criminals, it was difficult to remember that perhaps some of them really didn't want to.

She turned back to the matter at hand, "Did your husband ever speak about his clients? Anyone in particular that stood out?"

Amanda shook her head, "It was so long ago, if he did talk about them…I couldn't remember them anyways."

"It's alright," Lisbon replied. She looked down at the tabletop for a moment, searching for a way to ask more questions without upsetting her further. "Where is this storage room located?"

"It's um…it's uh outside of Springsfield…I think it was called Store-All Self Storage, the key is right here." Amanda got up and took a small gold key off of the counter and held it tightly in her palm but didn't give it to Lisbon right away. Instead she hesitated and seemed to start to lose control again, she looked back up at Lisbon with tears in her eyes once more, "Will this really help you find him?"

Lisbon took a deep breath but nodded, "I think it might."

Amanda smiled and set the key down softly on the table in front of Lisbon, "Then please use it…find him. Find him before he kills someone else."

She slowly took the key and put it safely away, "I will do my very best," Lisbon assured her even though she had her own doubts on her abilities. Amanda simply nodded again and let the tears spill down her cheeks. "We'll leave you alone Mrs. Langley," Lisbon said before getting up quietly to leave the room.

"Agent Lisbon!" Lisbon paused at the front door when she heard her name. She turned to see Amanda walking towards her with a desperate look in her eyes, "Do you…do you know why he did this to Evan? I just want to know…"

She hesitated for a moment, unsure if she should tell the woman so much but finally gave in, "That's what we are trying to figure out ma'am…when I know, you'll know."

Mrs. Langley smiled again, "Thank you Agent Lisbon."

Lisbon nodded before smiling goodbye and following Van Pelt out the door. Once outside Lisbon felt a mixture of relief to be away and sadness over the woman's loss. Mrs. Langley's pain was just another burden she would have to bear on this case; already her shoulders were aching from so much weight.

She and Van Pelt got into the car quietly; Lisbon took a moment to collect herself before starting the car. "That poor woman," Grace said, "she didn't deserve this."

"They never do," Lisbon agreed before starting the car and pulling out of the driveway.

"Do you really think that we will find a connection between Amberson and Langley?"

"Jane thinks so," she replied, "I'd never admit it to his face but he's usually right about these kinds of things."

Grace nodded, "And that connection could be in the case files."

"We have to look," Lisbon explained, "if there is a connection it might not be so obvious, we have to be thorough or Red John will slip through our fingers again."

Van Pelt seemed to agree or at least didn't feel the need to reply. The two remained silent for several minutes in which Lisbon let her mind drift about the case and her hope that the key to finding Red John lay in the storage building Evan Langley had been keeping. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Grace leaning forward and looking quite pale, "You alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine," Grace said but sounded the exact opposite, "just feeling a little carsick."

Lisbon smiled, carsick, that was a new one. Finally she just shook her head, "When are you due?"

Grace looked up at her and blinked, "What?"

"You heard me Van Pelt."

She shook her head, "I'm not…I mean…"

Lisbon smiled again, this time a little more amused, "You can't fool me Grace I've been there before, remember?"

After a long moment Grace sighed and leaned back against the seat, "I'm not sure," she admitted, "I haven't seen a doctor yet."

"You should get on that."

"I know," but Grace looked indecisive, "I found out the night we got the word that Red John was back and I just…haven't had the time yet."

Lisbon nodded, "I'm sure Cho would give you time off."

"He would," she agreed, "but if I told him then he would have to hold me back and I…I want to be in on this one."

"I can understand that," Lisbon explained, "But what I don't understand is why you haven't told Rigsby yet?"

Grace smiled a mixture of embarrassment and pride, "You know Wayne. If I told him he wouldn't want me to do anything but lie down and rest." She laughed, "he would turn into this dopey caveman that would need to protect his offspring, which is kind of hot, but not what I want when we need to focus on this investigation."

"Yeah I get it," Lisbon said but then looked away, unable to hide the hint of sadness in her voice, "But you should be grateful for what you have. Sometimes we don't get to have men be overprotective over us…sometimes we have to do it ourselves."

Grace looked over at Lisbon with real sympathy, "I know…but I'm sure Jane would have done that if he'd been there."

The tires screeched in protest as Lisbon slammed on the brakes bringing the car to a sudden halt, oblivious to the angry driver behind them. "What?" Lisbon exclaimed, all eyes on the other agent in the car. Van Pelt was still recovering from the fast deceleration and looked wide-eyed at Lisbon, unable to respond promptly. "What did you say about Jane?"

"I thought….I thought that Jane was Cassie's father…I mean that's what he said!"

"He _told_ you?"

"Yes," Grace explained, "We were in the break room and he just told us…was he not supposed to?"

Lisbon tensed up and let out a strangled breath of air, "I'm going to kill him," she finally said calmly before stepping on the gas and speeding away.

* * *

It may have been five years but everyone recognized that angry glint in Lisbon's eyes as she charged through the building towards the squad room. Everyone knew who she was looking for; she only displayed this type of anger when it involved Jane doing something that ticked her off.

Cho and Rigsby were at the latter's desk, they looked up with questioning eyes at Lisbon's entrance but wisely stayed silent. Jane was lying on his couch, his eyes closed and hands folded over his chest. Lisbon didn't know if he was actually sleeping or not but she didn't care.

"We have to talk," Lisbon told him, nudging him roughly with her leg.

"Mmm," he murmured without opening his eyes, "You've got that scary, determined voice which means it is in my best interest to stay in a public setting."

She smacked him on the top of his head. "Get up or I will _drag_ you out of here," she gritted out.

Jane opened his eyes when she hit his head; he kept a small smile on his lips as he stood up from his resting place, "Alright lead the way," but he turned to Rigsby and Cho, "If you hear gunshots, you'll know where we are."

Lisbon didn't acknowledge his little joke but angrily walked through the building, holding the door to the nearest empty room open for him. She shut the door and closed the blinds so that privacy was assured, only then did she turn to look at him. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"According to you I never think, I just do," Jane told her with a cheeky grin.

"Fine then," she seethed, "Have you lost your mind?"

He shook his head, "No it's still in there."

Lisbon placed a hand to her head and let out a strangled shriek, "No more games Jane, you know what I'm upset about."

"I do?"

"Stop it," she cut in, "You have no right to talk about my personal life…_our_ personal life like that."

"Like what?" Jane asked; his expression was cryptic as he kept eye contact with her, never once looking away.

Lisbon's anger slipped and she faltered over her words, "Like Cassie…and that she's…your daughter."

"Oh that," Jane said indifferently.

She looked at him with shock, "You already knew!"

"Of course," he replied with a small smirk, "but I am glad you finally told me."

Lisbon turned her back and took a few steps away shaking her head. She didn't want him to see her react this way, not until she collected herself again. When Lisbon did look at him again it was with a calmer façade, "You knew before you told Van Pelt and the others."

"Yes."

"You knew when I first came here."

"Yes."

"You knew I was pregnant when I left."

"No," Jane said and he looked down at the floor for a moment, just a moment and looked back into her eyes once more.

She let out a long breath and kept her gaze steady, "How did you know?"

He shrugged, "When you first arrived you were clearly nervous around me, I could have attributed that to our history except every time you called home you wouldn't look at me. That told me you were hiding something."

Jane paused for a second dramatically before he continued, "Then when you told everyone that you had a daughter and that she was coming here, you didn't look me in the eye once. In fact you didn't look me in the eye for several hours afterwards. That's when I knew for sure that I was Cassie's father."

Lisbon thought back to the moments he just described, recognizing the tells he had been able to pick up on. She should have known; it was a fool's dream to hide the truth from Jane. Working with him for all of those years should have taught her that. She mentally kicked herself for a moment for her own foolishness. It was useless now though; humiliating as it might be, there were other questions that plagued her mind at the moment.

"Did you have to announce it to everyone?" she asked.

"They were curious, I was simply appeasing them."

"For God's sake, Jane, you don't just tell everyone like that," Lisbon said in a near shout, "Didn't you think you should have told me first?"

"Clearly you know that Cassie is your daughter since you gave birth to her," Jane replied, grinning at his own joke.

"Jane!"

He chuckled a bit. "Come on, Lisbon, you normally take teasing much better."

"Well right now, I'm not in the mood."

Jane let out a little sigh and then shrugged his shoulders. "You didn't want me to know so I didn't see the point in telling you."

It was a ridiculous answer, but what else did one get from Patrick Jane. Lisbon had long ago learned that there was always something behind his cryptic words, like a file heavily guarded with pass-codes and firewalls. Jane was only giving her half of his answer. She'd have to figure out the other half on her own.

"What are you going to do?" she asked. She had wondered about the answer for five years: what would Jane do if she told him about their child?

Jane waved his hands in dismissal, "Nothing."

That threw her for a loop, "Nothing?"

"Yes," he told her, "I don't see how there is anything that I need to do."

Lisbon blinked rapidly, "Cassie is your daughter…you are her father and you don't think that involves you in any way?"

"Not really." She scoffed and shook her head while Jane explained, "She seems fine, you are obviously more than capable of taking care of her and if you had needed my help you would have contacted me, which you didn't."

Lisbon looked at him and slowly nodded her head, never taking her eyes off of his "You're right, she doesn't need you and I…I don't want anything from you."

She stepped around him and walked from the room, leaving him alone. Lisbon didn't return to the squad room but instead rushed to the nearest bathroom. She needed to be alone.

She needed to cry alone.

* * *

_Five Years Ago_

Lisbon was finishing up some form forty-one's at her desk. Rigsby, Van Pelt and Jane had already left earlier since the case had been cleared. She would have left too, but she was waiting for Cho. Stupid radiator had to go out this morning, leaving her with no choice but to have her car towed for repair. Cho had agreed to play her chauffer until she had her vehicle returned.

A roll of thunder told her that the weatherman's prediction had come true: Sacramento was in for a big dose of rain. Maybe tonight she'd start a hot bath and read a fun novel. It was always nice to get cozy when a storm was crashing outside.

"Hey, Lisbon," Cho said just as she finished signing her name to a form.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked him.

"No, I just got a call from the AG, she needs me to go over my statements for court on Friday."

"It can't wait until tomorrow?" she asked, "It's late."

Cho nodded. "You know how lawyers are."

"Say no more," she replied, "Go. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Right," he said with a clipped nod, "Night, boss."

Once he had gathered his things and left, Lisbon let out a long sigh. It looked like she'd have to swallow the loss of an atrocious cab fee, either that or stay on the couch. Lisbon looked over at the couch, weighing whether she would actually be able to sleep on it. No, as much as it was comfortable it wasn't meant to be used as a bed.

She took out her cell-phone and the phonebook. She found the first listing for cabs and started to dial the number when there was a cheerful, "Hey."

Lisbon's body jerked in surprise and she let out a gasp. Once her heart returned to it's natural rhythm, she looked up to glare at Jane. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he said with an apologetic grin.

"What the hell are you still doing here?" she asked, "I thought you'd gone home."  
"I left my playing cards here," he explained. She remembered how earlier he, Rigsby and Cho had played cards and then Jane had impressed them with more of his little tricks.

"You came back for a deck of cards?" she said, incredulous that such a simple task couldn't wait until tomorrow.

He smiled. "It's a trick deck."

"Oh, and you don't want Rigsby to find the deck and figure it out," she surmised.

"Exactly."

"Alright get your cards, Houdini," she told him. Lisbon looked back at the book to find the number again. She had only punched in the first three digits before she heard a soft knock on the doorframe. She looked up and saw that Jane was back. "What now?"

"I saw Cho leaving earlier," he said, "I thought he was going to take you home since your car is in the shop."

"The AG needed him tonight, I was about to call a cab."

Jane tsked at her and shook his head. "At this hour? Plus it's raining like cats and dogs, it'll take a while for you to get a cab." He let out a chuckle. "Cats and dogs, what a ridiculous phrase to describe the weather. Where do you think that comes from?"

"I have no idea," she said with a sigh, "and I don't care. How am I supposed to get home now?"

"Oh, well that's simple enough. I'll drive you."

Jane was right, it was a simple solution. But for some reason Lisbon felt leery at the thought. For the past six months whenever a case had been excruciatingly tense—usually because of something Jane did—he had arrived at her apartment. The outcome was always the same, eventually they would wind up in bed together. She knew it was a terrible habit she was forming. It didn't matter that Jane was only a consultant so it wasn't actually against the rules for her to tangle with him, but it was just a bad idea getting involved with a colleague. If Rigsby and Van Pelt's failed romance wasn't proof enough, the whole Bosco situation had taught her to keep her love life out of her work life.

But every time she tried to say no, to force Jane to go home, the words never came out. The reasons behind her behavior she preferred to leave unexplored. Better to see it how Jane did: just a method of relieving tension.

Lisbon looked at the couch—an easy solution to counter Jane's offer—and remembered her plans for a hot bath. With the rain and the questionable comfort of the couch, it was doubtful she would get much sleep in her office.

"Alright," she said, "I'll get my jacket and then we can go."

Jane's earlier assessment had been right, it was raining buckets. The wiper blades of his Citroen were desperately trying to clear the water so the road could be visible. The result was dizzy flurry of motion that only allowed short bursts of clarity. It occurred to Lisbon that she had rarely ever been in his car. They normally took her car when they traveled, it was a shame since his ride was smooth and the seats were damn comfortable.

"You know I wouldn't have mind waiting for a cab," she said, "This is out of your way."

"Nonsense, cabs are dangerous and you're my friend. It's never out of my way to help you, Lisbon."

"Cabs are not dangerous," she argued.

"A stranger driving a lovely young woman around at night, I find that a recipe for disaster."

"I have a gun, Jane, I'd be fine."

Jane took his eyes off the road for a moment to grin at her. "Please, Lisbon, let me be chivalrous for once."

She chuckled. "You, chivalrous? God, that's a scary thought."

"Can't picture me as a knight in shining armor?"

"More like a magician in a top hat."

Her comment made them both laugh at the image. "Do I have a black cape?" he asked.

"Yes, and one of those ridiculous wands."

Jane laughed and said, "I guess I would also pull a rabbit out of my top hat and say Abracadabra!"

Apparently the cliché word of magic still had some juice left to it because there was suddenly a loud bang coming from the back. The noise made Lisbon shout in surprise and she instinctively reached for her gun. The sound of something flopping on the street told her that it wasn't a gunshot but a blown tire. Jane brought the car to the side of the road and put it in park.

"Please tell me you can wiggle your nose and send me home," she said.

Jane gave her an remorseful smile. "My powers are a little rusty."

"Great," Lisbon said with a groan, "With this storm it will take triple A forever to get here."

"Indeed."

"What are we going to do?"

"I guess we'll have to wait until the storm passes."

Judging by the massive rain and thunder, she had a feeling the storm wouldn't leave Sacramento for a while. Had she given up her couch for a car?

"Screw it," she said, "Do you have an umbrella?"

"No."

"How about a flashlight?"

"In the trunk."

"Good, pop the trunk."

As she reached for her handle, Jane grabbed her arm to tug her back into her seat. "You're not thinking about walking the rest of the way."

"I'm not suicidal, Jane," she replied, "I'm just going to change the flat."

He looked visibly relieved at her answer. "That's fine. You are cursed so you might as well fix the tire."

She gaped at him. "Cursed? What do you mean cursed?"

"Well your radiator broke this morning and now this flat. The only common factor is you, so this means you are a curse for cars."

"I am not cursed!" she exclaimed.

"Don't feel bad, Lisbon," Jane said gently but with a teasing smile, "I'm sure I can figure out a way to break the curse."

"Shut up and the pop the trunk."

He chuckled to himself as he pushed the button to release the trunk. The moment Lisbon stepped out of the shelter of the car she was drenched in cool rain. She ran to the back of the car and rifled through the space for the flashlight. She heard Jane slam his door and then the slosh of his shoes in the wet street.

She located the flashlight and shined it into the trunk to get the jack, cross wrench and the spare tire. "Take this," she told Jane as she handed him the flashlight and wrench so she could take the rest.

She used the jack to lift up the car and then got to work unscrewing the nuts from the hubcap. Water was filling her shoes and had slicked down her dark hair. Jane made sure to keep the beam steady so she could see what she was doing.

"You learned to do this as an adolescent," he guessed.

"Thirteen," she said.

"After your mother died."

"Yeah, since my dad was spending all of his money on booze we couldn't exactly afford good coverage. My brothers and I learned how to fix flats and the change the oil ourselves."

"Industrious," he complimented, "and helpful since I wasn't looking forward to sleeping in my car."

"That makes two of us."

She took off the ruined tire and handed it to Jane so she could pick up the new one. It was rather difficult getting a good grip on the tools in this rain, but her whole life had taught her to persevere.

"You really don't like asking for help."

Lisbon looked back at him as she retrieved a nut and the cross wrench. "What?"

"Most people don't know how to change tires nowadays. Clearly you don't want to call for help."

"I can't call for help, not in this downpour," she pointed out.

"Ah, but I imagine if this were your car and it were perfectly clear you would still be down here on your knees replacing this flat."

Lisbon tightened up a nut, grunting a bit with effort. "There is nothing wrong with doing things on my own."

"There is if the result it always you being alone."

She pulled the wrench away from the tire. She'd heard this sort of talk before from well-meaning friends, her sister-in-law that was a shrink, Manelli had once subtly suggested it too. She knew how to give out casework, how to lead a team, but she did prefer to take care of most things on her own. It only happened occasionally where she wished someone would give her a hand. Okay, maybe a bit more than occasionally. Maybe—.

"Just hold up the flashlight," she told him. She shook away the sudden wave of loneliness and picked up another nut.

It wasn't long before the spare was replaced, the car lowered and everything put back where it belonged. They took up their seats with rain still dripping from their hair and their clothes plastered to their skin. Now that she was no longer focusing on the tire, Lisbon felt the chill of the rain. Jane must have felt it too because he turned on the heater before he returned to the road.

The rest of the ride wasn't eventful, which Lisbon was grateful for. Now that she was soaked she was anxious to get home and change into some dry clothes. Jane pulled into an empty space outside her apartment building.

"Here you are, Lisbon," he said, "I drove you home and I won't charge you an unseemly lump of money to do so."

Lisbon chuckled. "Thanks, Jane."

She was unbuckling her seatbelt, prepared to say goodbye, when it occurred to her that there was a certain courtesy in this situation. Not only had Jane driven her home but he was sopping wet from the rain. It would be rude if she didn't invite him up for a hot drink and a towel at least.

"Why don't you come in for a cup of tea?" she suggested, "I mean you drove out of your way to bring me home and you're soaked to the skin."

"Oh that's alright."

"Seriously, it's the least I can do."

Jane smiled and nodded. "Tea would be good, thank you."

She led him up to her apartment as more rain layered onto their already saturated clothes. She was grateful that there was a little awning over the door to her place that gave them some shelter, meager as it was. Lisbon flicked on the lights the minute they stepped inside. She took off her jacket and hung it over the arm of the sofa and Jane did the same.

"I'll go get you a towel so you can dry off a bit," she said.

"Please," he replied, "You can change as well while I start the tea."

It stood to reason that he understood her desire to get out of her soggy slacks and now nearly transparent blouse. She prayed to God that he'd hadn't snuck a peak, not that it mattered since he'd seen it all before.

Lisbon quickly put on a pair of sweats and a SFPD t-shirt and then took a large towel from her bathroom. She went back downstairs and saw Jane had put a kettle on the stove to boil and that two mugs were standing on the counter waiting to be used.

"Here," she said and tossed him the towel.

Jane caught it and wiped the sheen of rain off of his face and then through his wet hair. He'd always had a sort of tousled look but with now it was a mess of sandy waves that flew in every direction. It was so odd seeing him with a damp blue shirt, disheveled hair and slightly muddy grey slacks. He looked so…free. Right now he seemed ordinary, just like her, with no special talents or mega sleuthing skills that put her to shame. He was always a handsome man, but now that he was brought down to her level and smelled fresh like the rain—.

The kettle let out a piercing whistle which brought her back to reality. She couldn't think about Jane like that. Such thoughts were why this new twist to their relationship was dangerous.

Lisbon took the kettle off the hot burner and set it on the cool end of the stove. She knew Jane liked milk in his tea so she took the bottle out of the fridge and poured it into one of the cups. She then took the kettle and added the steaming water to the cups and put the tea bags in to seep.

"Interesting," Jane said.

"What?"

"You know exactly how I like my tea."

She gave him a bewildered look. "We've worked together for over six years, it stands to reason that I would know how you like your tea. You know how I like my coffee."

"Ah, but do you know how Rigsby likes his coffee? Or Cho?"

Uh oh, he had her there. Rigsby and Cho's taste in coffee was lost to her. Not that it meant anything, because it didn't, it just meant that Jane was the only one in the group who didn't drink coffee regularly so it was difficult to ignore.

"Just drink your tea," she instructed him. For once he listened to her, but he was grinning the entire time.

Lisbon took up her mug and went to the window in her living room. The rain was still coming down like water from an open spigot. Lightening flashed and was shortly followed by a sharp burst of thunder. She sipped from her tea and waited for the next spark in the sky.

"You like the rain," Jane said.

Lisbon nodded. "I like storms, at least when I'm inside, safe and dry."

"Why?"

She looked over at him, as he was still in the kitchen. "Can't you figure it out for yourself?"

"I could," he said with confidence, "but I'd rather if you told me."

Lisbon smiled at his words. For once he was going to let her tell him something instead of just reading it off of her face. "When I was little girl my mother used to make me watch the rain with her whenever a storm rolled in. She'd make us cocoa with tons of marshmallows and we'd curl up in a chair, turn off the lights and just watch the lightening outside."

"That sounds nice."

"It was." Things had been so much better before her mother had died. Once she was gone, her childhood had ended. No more hot cocoa and lightening shows.

Suddenly she was plunged into darkness. Lisbon looked around and saw that Jane had crossed to the other side of the room and turned off the lights. "We may just have tea, but we can still enjoy the show," he said.

He walked over to stand beside her just as another burst of light appeared in the sky. Another crash of thunder sounded. "When I was three I asked my mother why it rained and she told me that it was because angels were crying," she said, "and that the lightening happened when they flapped their wings."

"That's a clever fantasy," he said.

"What do you think of the rain?"

"I think rain is water vapor condensed into liquid form."

"You'd tell a child there is no such thing as Santa, wouldn't you?" she replied to his nonchalant answer.

"Not at all, I enjoy the innocence of children," Jane said, "it doesn't last nearly as long as it should for some."

The deep meaning behind his words had her burning for an explanation. She knew precious little about his childhood, beyond the fact that he had been a Carnie. It wasn't really fair that he had been able to read her history from her eyes like she was a textbook while his pages were completely blank to her.

Still, the sad look she saw briefly in his eyes told her that perhaps he wasn't ready to tell her about his past. Jane kept himself cloaked in secrecy for a reason.

"Did you ever count the seconds between lightening and thunder as a kid?" she asked, deciding that the storm was a safer topic.

Jane nodded. "It's true that if you divide the number by five then you have a close reading on how far the storm is."

Lisbon grinned at him as another streak of lightening forked across the sky. "One one-thousand…two one-thousand…three one-thousand…" Thunder punctuated her chant.

"The storm is three fifths of a mile away," Jane said.

"That's close," she replied. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark and now she could see his face clearly. With the dim, bluish glow of the storm he was even more striking.

Another needle of white light brightened the night outside. "One one-thousand…two…" Thunder shook so loud her walls rattled. "I guess that's one fifth of a mile."

Jane nodded, but didn't say anything. Somehow the electricity in the sky had invaded her home. She felt the crackle of the foreign energy coursing between them, giving her that forbidden yearning to touch him. She couldn't give into it though.

"Let me take your cup," she said, surprised by how soft her voice was. He didn't say anything as he handed her his empty mug but her fingers touched his as she took it. There was a jolt of hot fire that slipped from the contact that ignited her heart into an uneasy rhythm. Oh God, what was happening?

She took the mugs into the kitchen and put them back in the sink. "Isn't it beautiful?" she asked him.

"Yes," he admitted, "I especially like how it makes your eyes look grey."

Her foolish heart flipped over in her chest and then began to slam into her ribcage at full speed. Why was he acting like this? Why was she? She needed to ask him to leave. Yes, that was what she had to do…as soon as she could find the words.

Lisbon returned to the living room but she didn't look at the rain cascading out her window. How could she be transfixed by the rain when Jane was looking at her like that? "This storm is intense."

Jane gave her a small nod. "Very."

Lisbon was looking into Jane's beautiful eyes just as the lightening struck again. The thunder followed immediately and rumbled into her chest, jarring her aching heart. "It's here," she whispered.

Jane only nodded. The look in his eyes was penetrating and far more seductive than the storm outside. For the first time since she had met Patrick Jane, she could read his mind.

They were too close now for her to breath right. She kept taking in small, uneven breathes that matched the pace of her heart. She couldn't let this happen. She had vowed that she wouldn't. He needed to go. Damn, why did that thought make her heart plummet?

Lightening flashed and a heartbeat later there was a crash of sound. It was the only thing that could drown out all of her thoughts except for one: _please kiss me_.

He'd always been able to read her mind.

=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=

The storm was gone but the sun was not up yet when Lisbon's alarm signaled that it was time to wake up. She slapped it off and considered just curling up in the blankets and going back to sleep. Last night she and Jane had come up with a myriad of excuses for why he should stay, maybe they could do that again. It was still early. They deserved a day off. It had just been too wonderful to let go.

She rolled over to suggest this to Jane and saw that the bed was empty. More than that, the sheets and pillow were cold. How long had he been gone?

It didn't mean anything. Before, she'd woken up and found him out of her bed. He'd been in her kitchen, making breakfast and coffee. That had to be where he was now. He wouldn't just…yes, he had to be there now.

Lisbon pulled on a ratty bathrobe and wrapped it around herself. "Jane?" she called out his name when she reached the stairs. No answer.

"Jane?" she said again. With each step she took down the stairs she felt her heart beat faster and her throat tighten a little bit more. When she reached the bottom she walked into her living room and saw that it was empty. The kitchen was cold. No coffee was brewing, her eggs and bacon were still in the fridge and her stove was off. No Jane.

She actually felt some tears prick at her eyes but she shook her head. _Don't be hurt by this_, she instructed herself, _He isn't worth it._ It was better to be mad. Tears never did anyone any good.

But it did hurt to know that Jane had broken his word to her. He had left her alone like she was some cheap one-night stand. The pain didn't matter. She knew that when she saw him at work she wouldn't speak of it. She wouldn't treat him any differently. But she also knew that every time she looked at him she would have one question burning in her mind.

Why?

* * *

A/N: Anyone care to guess why Jane left? We'd love to hear your theories. Please review!


End file.
